


Even if he Falls...

by BulletInTheWind, spidermaninplaid



Category: Angels & Airwaves, Blink-182
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-18
Updated: 2016-12-09
Packaged: 2018-08-09 15:27:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 8
Words: 61,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7807177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BulletInTheWind/pseuds/BulletInTheWind, https://archiveofourown.org/users/spidermaninplaid/pseuds/spidermaninplaid
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fitting in with the world is all they ever wanted, but all they ever needed to realize was that they were fit for each other. Tom moves to a new town after his curiosity gets the best of him. He ends up at a local skate park in search of new friends, but what he actually found was something that meant a whole lot more to him, and a whole lot more to Mark.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Author Notes: Hi, everyone. This is another book that I'm writing with BulletInTheWind, and this was the Tomark book I've been posting about for awhile now on my Wattpad account, and we are very excited to finally share it with you. We both agree that it's one of the better stories we've written, going into a lot more with the characters and such. 
> 
> Just a bit of a disclaimer- we do not own anything except for the story line & the original characters. 
> 
> Also, we have some warnings to present to you guys, and we wanted to share them just before you get started reading. These warnings will also be posted when chapters with this type of stuff are out for y'all to read, so bare with us. :) This story is written completely from our imaginations, including the interactions between characters merely based off real people. It includes the possible illegal relationship of someone underage. They date before both of them reach age 18, so depending on how strict you are, read this story only if you are okay with this kinda stuff. It also includes self-harm, violence, and hurtful speech that might be sensitive for some people. We do NOT encourage any of this stuff, nor do we know if said events occurred. Readers, please- read this at your own risk. We have warned you about possible touchy subjects here and now, and if you are uncomfortable with any of it, then move on to the next book on your list please, or skip the chapters that contain bold warnings in the beginning. Thank you so much for taking the time to read through this, and for reading our story if you choose to. 
> 
> xoxo-

_I'm not a bad kid, I'm just fitting in._ That's what Mark told himself for years and years and it's what he was telling himself now as he and his nicknamed friends picked on a kid with a particularly large freckle on his face. He wasn't joining in, not yet, anyway, as he watched his three friends work on him. Mark's smile lit up when the boy famous for his facial features and expressions called upon him in a flirtatious fashion.

"Butt-Chin, come on, sweetheart, he's all yours,"

That was Mark, and he couldn't lie about the accuracy of his name, either. He stood up, eyes sparkling because now was his time to impress him, earn a little extra from him later, earn the love that Mark poured into him and begged for in return. 

And Mark did his job well, pushing Freckle Face into the floor and straddling his hips, poking at his freckle. The kid frowned and whined, but it only empowered Mark and made his friends giggle. 

"Aren't freckles supposed to be angel kisses or some shit like that?" Mark laughed. "I've never heard of angels that play jokes on humans. Except for Lucifer," His friends made oooh noises and the kid looked away. 

But that was just a normal day at the skate park. Mark and his friends owned it, and everyone that skated here knew that risk. They were allowed to, so long as they agreed to the teasing, an invisible contract signed by stepping foot in the rink. Mark decided the kid had enough and let him go, watching in a relief he'd never dare to show as he ran away.

"Hey, that was a pretty funny thing you told him, baby," Mark whined and looked up, seeing his perfect plump lips. He blushed and moved closer to him, and he smiled. 

"Gross," One of the boys snickered, and Mark stuck his tongue out at him. He was 4'8" and had stringy hair that always seemed to be greasy and wore nothing but tie-dye. He was nothing compared to the one in charge. 

"Shut up, Short Stuff," Mark giggled, resting his head against the blue shirt of the boy he craved with such a desire that Mark's legs shook. 

He looked down at Mark and Short Stuff smirked again. "Come on, Blue Steel, you're teasing your poor boy-"

Blue Steel cut him off and Mark whined in disappointment. Perhaps he was embarrassed, or wanted Mark to work for it. Mark didn't know, nor did he really care- all Mark did know was that he was going to work to make Blue more comfortable. He looked up at him and smiled, keeping their bodies close. Mark felt warm, though maybe that was the sun. 

"I know," Blue said, and finally shot Mark the smile he desired and put his hands in Mark's hair and Mark melted, falling into the trance of the boy and hummed, nuzzling against him. "But he likes to be teased." Mark giggled and Blue pulled on his hair a bit. Mark knew what that meant and looked up and Blue's lips met his and it was everything to Mark but was it everything to-

Mark didn't care to think. He had other things to tell himself, more important things, like how he wasn't a bad kid. 

 

~ * ~

 

With elbows rested on the table his parents had brought in about five minutes ago, Tom rested his head in his hands and stared at them as they carried more boxes in. It was his fault they were moving into this smaller home in a different city. He felt guilty for what he had done, but he didn't see the big deal about it. He was young and curious, and yet the school didn't seem to buy his innocent act. The act he did do, wasn't innocent however. But, Tom himself was. His parents left their liquor cabinet open and Tom happened to get into it. They claimed it was like he was three again, walking around on little legs and grabbing everything in sight. 

It's weird how age determines your innocence and what you can and can't do. How strange it was that they had laughed at this when he was three, yet he was screamed at him thirteen for doing the exact same thing. 

Tom thought about these things as he blew hair out of his face and played with the keys they'd left on the table. 

"You know, you could make yourself useful and help us unpack all this shit, Thomas," His Dad said bitterly as he set a box in front of him, glaring. "Since, you know, it is your fault we had to move it all."

"You could say it a bit nicer," Tom huffed, getting up from his seat slowly. "A 'please' would be appreciated,"

"And you could have been smart and not have touched something that wasn't yours," he spat back, now a bit angry. "You don't deserve special treatment,"

Tom made another face and pushed his chair in roughly, so that the legs banged against the bottom of the table. "How many times do I have to say I'm sorry?" he mumbled under his breath, storming to his room. The least he could do was unpack his stuff, considering he was just told not to touch what wasn't his. 

He sighed after he shut the door, leaning back against it. A few of his things were unpacked, such as some clothes, blankets and his skateboard. He noticed his cheap-ass acoustic guitar resting under some boxes and he groaned loudly. Don't they know they could break it like that? Especially this one cause it didn't cost too much?

Tom shoved the boxes over, hearing banging, but he didn't care. He grabbed a shirt that fell out of the box and arranged it so the guitar wouldn't get scratched by the floor. He set it up against the wall, and let out another small breath. 

His door flew open a few seconds later, his mom entering the room. She smiled sweetly at him, but frowned at the random fallen boxes near him. "I won't ask," she said quietly. "But, I know that you're probably bored, so why don't you go outside?" 

Tom blinked at his Mom at that. He thought they wanted him to help unpack some stuff. "Uh, sorta," he replied, scratching the back of his head, before fixing his shirt. 

"I saw a skate park on the drive in earlier this morning," She started, smiling again. "I think you should ride over there and see if you can make some new friends. It'd be nice to have some friends who go to school with you before you start school in a week."

Tom smiled back at his mother, and grabbed his skateboard that was resting on top of his bed. "Thanks," he breathed, kissing her cheek. "I'll be back soon,"

He heard the yells of his Dad as he left the house, saying how he's nothing and that he should be helping and not goofing off, but Tom just shrugged it off. He didn't wanna feel guilty anymore, and maybe starting fresh in the new town would help him do just that. He closed his eyes for a moment and felt the wind against his face as he rode down the sidewalk, backtracking the way they came to their house. His mom said it was on the way there. 

Eventually, Tom found it, and jumped off his board as he walked into the fenced in area. He frowned as some kid booked it across the park, and a group of guys snickered at him. Tom wanted to find out what exactly happened, but he wasn't gonna walk up to someone and ask them if they beat the shit out of a kid that ran. He obviously got lost for a reason. He couldn't help but smile slightly when one of them noticed him, and he waved casually at the guy before skating down into one of the ramps.


	2. Chapter Two

Mark and his friends always noticed when there was someone new at the skate park, which included Freckle Face, and now the blonde boy who was innocently waving at them from a distance. Mark knew this because his friends started making those stupid little chuckles they make whenever someone unsuspecting dares to challenge them or greet them. Mark looked over, and couldn’t help but smile a little bit at the new boy. He had never seen him before. He most certainly was new in town, because Mark, Shorty, Blue Steel, and Chubby Chris knew everyone. 

Mark was staring, though he didn't notice it. He was caught in a trance, it seemed. He was a lot taller than most boys Mark knew, yet still shorter than him. His skin was already slightly sweating under the sun- Mark could tell because of the way his skin shined despite the distance. Mark licked his lips, and he waved back. Few seconds late, but better than nothing, except for the fact it made it obvious that Mark was interested because unlike his friends, he fucking waved while they were laughing and pointing flaws. Mark didn’t really see any flaws, but maybe that was the distance. He blinked away sweat that was forming on his eyelid and dripping down, and then turned slightly red, seeing as he didn’t notice how hot he really was. Or had gotten, anyway. Mark smiled lightly when the boy dropped himself down into the rink- he was really good on a board. 

He was snapped out of his trance by Blue, whom flicked his forehead. Mark made a face and looked up, angry at first but then relaxing when he realized it was just him. He touched him. Not in the nicest of ways, but he touched him. Mark sighed and furrowed his brows. “What?”

“Don’t think I don’t see you making googly eyes at Cheese Head over there”, Blue said, smirking at the end.

Cheese Head, so that was what they were going to call him. Mark made a small laugh. Yeah, his hair was pretty blonde-

“Hey, Butt-Chin, over here, Jesus”, Blue laughed, flicking him again and Mark blushed. He stood up now, getting up off the side of the rink where he had been sitting. 

“I was going to offer you a cigarette, but you probably don’t want to smell like ashes when you go introduce yourself to your new love over there”, Blue joked, lighting one for himself.

Mark was taken aback and quickly stammered, his heart beating rapidly in his chest. New love? No, no Blue was his love, how he _absolutely desired_ his Blue. Blue knew that. They were- they were together, weren’t they?

“N-No, gi-give me.” Mark huffed out, and snatched the cigarette from Blue’s mouth and put it into his own, huffing out. His eyes darted to see if the boy had noticed, but then quickly shifted back to Blue.

Blue laughed, and ruffled Mark’s hair, and Mark made a soft noise and leaned into Blue more. “Thought I almost lost you, baby, but you can’t resist those things, can you?” Mark hummed a response, content with the tobacco between his lips. He leaned more into Blue, and he ran his fingers gently through Mark’s hair which earned another hum out of him. It didn’t last for long though- why didn’t it ever last long?- and Mark felt as his whole body grew heavy with lust when Blue’s hands left his head and returned to their own body. “Anyways, isn’t it time we introduce Cheese Head to the boy he’ll be spending tonight with?”

Mark choked on his cigarette, coughing on Blue’s words and looking at him with wide eyes. Blue chuckled and took the cigarette away from Mark and back into his own, despite Mark’s desperate protest in his eyes. He didn’t like cigarettes taken away from him, but above all else, he didn’t like his Blue taken away from him- 

“You haven’t taken any one home in a while, hmm?”, Blue asked, teasing, but not putting his hands on Mark. Mark parted his lips and let out a breath, as if they were teasing him, but of course that’s exactly what they were doing. He didn’t answer. Blue rolled his eyes. “Don’t act like you weren’t checking his ass out earlier.” Mark waved his hand at Blue, signaling him to shut up. Yeah, he was, and of course he wanted to take him home. Mark’s eyes lit up a bit then. Taking him home would make Blue proud, and so would teasing him with the others. 

Besides, he wasn’t that special. Mark found a ton of boys attractive. Yet none of them were Blue. Mark knew he was being ridiculous about feeling like whatever pulled him into the boy was somehow different.

_Yeah, because the last few boys were so different, too._

Mark ran a hand down his shirt and made a determined face at Blue. “Okay, let’s fucking do it.” The boys cheered and Chubby whistled, hoping to get the attention of the boy as they made their way over on their boards. Mark followed behind Blue, yet he was really watching the skater hair on the boy bristle in the breeze.

Tom inhaled deeply as he skated down the ramps and such. He loved how they dipped down beneath the ground like a swimming pool, then came back up to level with the world again. It was kind like escaping everything when he went below ground level, but the sad reality smacks him in the face when he returns. He rode around for ten minutes or so before he heard a whistle, which made him glance over at the group of boys that were sitting past a few of the grinding rails. He hit a weird bump in the ramp, and flew forward, groaning when his body hit the concrete. Picking himself up, and brushing his shorts off, his eyes widened at the boys now getting up and walking towards them. He pushed his hair back slightly, it sticky from the sweat of the sun beating on his skin. He quickly hopped back on his board and pretended he didn't see them get up- and made sure that he didn't look like he fell. But of course, the small cut on his leg couldn't lie for him if it tried. 

Mark hid the shy smile away from his friends when he saw him fall, but the three pesky boys did just the opposite. They pointed their fingers and laughed, with Blue making the first comment, much like he always did. 

“Look Butt-Chin, it seems he’s also falling for you..” The others snickered and Mark turned red- he turned _red._ Realizing his mistake, Mark quickly shook his head in attempt to clear it of the color and made his hands into fists, preparing to say something snotty back to the boy alongside his friends. Short Stuff got on his board and chased the boy, managing to trip him right off. He laughed and Mark and his friends quickly approached him, cornering him. Tom gasped when at that not knowing if he should even dare try and snatch it back from him- he figured these guys could destroy him. He was forced to stop riding the board when the boys seemed to move all around him. Yeah, he knew from the start that he was unsure of these guys, but now he was sure that they were the type he shouldn't mess with. 

“Hey there, Cheese Head”, Blue smirked. “Falling for this one?”, he joked, poking Mark. Mark laughed, hiding his embarrassment. He wouldn’t dare show it. “Funny, he was just checking you out earlier.” Tom bit his lip lightly at the name. Was it because the sun bleached his hair? He couldn't help that.

“Should have seen him”, Shorty pressed, picking the boy’s board up off the ground and examining it. It was a rather cheap board. “With the faces he was making, anyone would think your board was actually worth riding”

Tom blinked at the one who called him a name when he mentioned the one next to him liking him. He felt a blush stain his cheeks, and he glanced away for a moment. Tom was definitely shy, but even he surprised himself with what he said back to the guy. "I'm fucking hot, of course he was checking me out," he said, smirking as he shoved his hands in his pockets. "I mean, I'm sure I'd make him happier anyway- anyone can tell he's craving the attention your ass isn't giving him,"

Shorty and Chubby made ooh noises, and Mark went red again, except this time, so did Blue. This boy had a strong tongue, and it was obvious he was good at reading people, too, since he could tell Mark wanted attention. Yet at the same time that made Mark a little uncomfortable, because he didn’t want anyone thinking him and Blue weren’t together. He was scared of the doubt of others, and suddenly he felt so insecure he moved closer to Blue, pulling on his shirt. Mark didn’t normally make the first move like that without permission, or at least, not as desperate as he was now. It didn’t phase Blue, but then again maybe that proved the boy’s point- yet Mark wouldn’t consider it. He watched him now, a little curious as to what else was hiding up his sleeve. It certainly entertained the others. Blue sucked in a breath and stepped closer to him, pushing Mark back a little. Mark frowned, and kept pulling on his shirt. 

“You don’t know how much attention I give him, or anyone, and that’s none of your business”, Blue spat, clearly annoyed at the tongue the stranger decided to use with them. “And, you don’t get to fucking talk to us like that, you hear me?” Blue growled, and he pulled Mark against him. Mark hummed happily and nuzzled his face against his shoulder. 

Tom glanced at the friend group again, then back at Blue, looking him up and down. He narrowed his eyes and straightened his shoulders when he came closer. "I'm guessing you're big man on campus," he gestured the skate park with his hands then, crossing them after and making a pft noise. "At least, that's what I assume you'd like to believe, even though it's just an act. You just wanna pick on me and that other kid that took off running earlier because you think it's cool and funny when all you actually wanna do is boost your ego," he huffed, before his eyes slid over to Mark when he noticed the desperate look on his face. He felt a smirk curl onto his lips once more. "Oh and I don't have to know how much attention you give him. The way he's tugging on your shirt and how you defensively wrapped your arm around him gave it away. He ain't getting any from you," 

Mark felt Blue shift at Tom’s words, and he knew he had made a mistake by looking so visibly desperate. Mark quickly pulled away, and knew he had to stand a defense against Blue. He wasn’t going to let anyone talk about Blue the way this cheese head was.

“You’re just jealous he gives me any”, Mark snapped, taking a step closer. “But that’s why you came here, right? To get attention? Everyone who comes here knows they’re gonna get it from us.”

Blue smiled, proud of Mark for stepping up for him like that. It didn’t stop him from teasing his own support. “And I bet you can’t wait to give Cheese Head some of that attention, hmm?”. Mark frowned a bit at the response, because he was really trying to get Blue’s attention. It didn’t work.

Tom blinked at Mark, before giving him an honest look that said he didn't know what he was talking about. "So, I was right," he sighed out, keeping his arms crossed. "I didn't come here to get attention, I came here to skate because I love to. I saw it on the way here, I just moved here," He rambled on, biting his lip after. 

“Well Cheese Head, here’s your formal welcome”, Blue sneered, pushing Tom back a bit. Shorty laughed, and still holding Tom’s board, got on it and started to roughly skate it around.

“This board is so cheap you could probably buy a better one at the dollar store”, he joked.

“Still looks better quality than your sex life”, Chubby shot back, laughing, and Blue and Mark laughed at that, too. 

“Fuck you, you’re teasing me when we’ve got some fresh meat here”, Shorty said in return, pointing to Tom. 

Blue nodded. “Yeah, but I want Butt Chin to get him”, he said, pushing Tom back again. Tom gasped, stumbling back but catching his footing. His face turned slightly pink again, upset that this guy and his friends had the nerve to pick on him even after his rude comments. Blue then shoved Mark, forcing him into Tom, whose face turned a little darker.

He quickly narrowed his eyes at Tom. “Is your shirt as cheap as your board? It’s covered in holes and not even the edgy type.”, he started off, being literally pushed into this yet still feeling a little proud of himself because it got Blue to laugh and made Tom frown. It was an old shirt, of course it was gonna have holes and look terrible. Shorty skated back a bit, to cut Tom off incase he tried running. Tom glared at him- he'd have to get him back later - that was his, and his only, even if it was cheap. It was his first one, and he's had it for years.. Shorty saw and stuck his tongue out, skating close and shoving Tom even more forward, which Mark took advantage of by grabbing onto one of the holes in Tom’s shirt, tearing it. All four laughed, and Tom huffed.

"What was that for? So you can check out my body more, huh?" Tom teased, feeling the smirk on his lips again. "You know, if you wanted my shirt off, you could have just asked, boo. It’s hot outside anyway, and I’m just adding to the heat.” All of the boys ooh’ed at Tom’s comment, including Mark, who blushed a little up at Tom. Mark wasn’t gonna lie, Tom was an attractive boy, of course he’d want his shirt off. 

Shorty made it more obvious than it had to be, though. “Of course he wants your shirt off”, he smirked, getting off Tom’s board and holding it firmly in his hands. “You hear that, Butt Chin?”, he asked, looking at Mark. “He called you boo.”

Mark rolled his eyes at Shorty and smirked. “He sure did.” He looked back at Tom and pulled on his shirt more. “This is as much of a game to you as it is to us, isn’t it?”, he chuckled.

Tom looked up at Mark, watching him carefully. He felt the tug of his shirt again, and he smirked. "Just cause I'm new here, doesn't mean I'll take anyone's shit, including yours," he breathed. 

“Most of the people that meet us don’t willingly take our shit”, Mark smirked, and slipped Tom’s shirt completely off, throwing it to Shorty who got back on the board and started running the shirt over to get it dirty. Blue whistled at Tom’s body, and grinned at Mark.

“Bet that sight pleases you.”

Shorty made a sort of cackled laugh, riding back over. He picked the shirt up and threw it over his shoulder. He poked Tom’s stomach, since he was so short. “Yeah, why don’t you give him a big kiss or something? He’d love that. Was probably picturing it earlier.”

Mark blushed at that. “I was not, you ass”, he laughed. “Give me his shirt.”

“Awe, if you wanted something to masturbate with you could have asked”, Blue joked, and Mark turned red while everyone else laughed. 

Shorty took the shirt off his shoulders and started messing with it in his hands, tearing it up even more. He made sure Tom could see. “You know, Cheesey, Butt Chin over there, is bisexual.”

Mark turned a darker shade at that. He was comfortable being with a bunch of boys, but he didn’t exactly go around using that label, either. “Shut the fuck up”, Mark said, a little weaker now. 

Blue grinned and came up behind Mark, wrapping his arms around him and putting his mouth near his neck. Mark breathed in his scent and fell weak against him, letting out a soft noise. “Oh come on, we all know it’s true. Even Cheese Head.” He looked up at Tom, the smirk staying on his lips. 

Tom noticed how Mark's friends turned the tables and started teasing him. He laughed lightly at a few, some of them being funny. That laugh faded, and the smile turned to a frown when they teased him about his sexuality, or possible sexuality. He didn't know for sure what Mark was, but he didn't like that his friends laughed about it. He didn't appreciate it when Blue came up behind Mark and teased him in a more physical way. It was obvious that Mark wanted that touch so badly, but seemed deprived of it. "Such a low blow for you to pick on him about if he likes dudes or not," Tom breathed out, glaring at them all. 

“Low blow?”, Blue echoed, still holding Mark tightly. “It’s a fucking joke, just like your face.”.

Mark laughed and put his hands over Blue’s, but Blue ended up pulling away to take the shirt and board from Shorty. Short Stuff didn’t protest. Who would question Blue, anyway? He tossed them a few feet away, and scoffed at Tom. “Get your stuff and go back to Wisconsin, Cheese Head”, he giggled.

Mark smiled at Blue’s joke. “And I don’t need your defense, thanks”, Mark said, a little bold. “I don’t need defense in my own territory.”

Tom didn't care much about his shirt, but his skateboard being thrown was the last thing he ever wanted to see. He felt his face heat up, as he found courage to shove Blue back hard, groaning as he did. "How about you go pick it up for me, slave?" He huffed heavily. "Maybe skate your ass all the way back from where you came from because you obviously aren't from around here- trying to run things your fucking way because you know you don't own the place and you never did,"

Blue gasped when Tom pushed him, and it was enough to make Mark bristle, too. “Don’t fucking touch him!”, he yelled. Mark didn’t like anyone touching Blue, but it was also nothing new. It was nothing new to any of them. 

Blue felt anger boil up in him and he wasted no time in shoving Tom back roughly. He didn’t even hear what Mark said, nor did he really care. He knocked Tom all the way down and straddled his hips, similar to the way Mark had straddled the freckled boy earlier. “Listen you fucking cheese, I am _not_ your slave, and you do _not_ fucking touch me, or any of my friends, unless we’re having some fun, if you know what I mean”, Blue smiled a little at the end, never ending his kind of humor. “I’m gonna let your ass up now without a mark, and you’re gonna get up and leave, or we’re going to have some problems- and remember you’re alone. This whole goddamn park won’t dare go against me.”, he snarled. “Especially my friends.”

Tom knew he made a mistake when his back hit the ground and when he was gasping from the air being knocked out of him for a moment. He listened to Blue carefully, everything he said. He smirked at the end- the same one he's been doing the whole time he was at the park. "Well," he breathed, pushing his hands up against Blue's chest to shove him off. "Challenge accepted, asshole,"he said, glad that he was successful in pushing Blue off of him, it'd give him enough time to run and grab his board before skating away in the direction of his house. He needed that time to get away, because he knew that they'd all beat his face in for touching their leader again. He huffed, jumping to his feet, and booking it over to his board before anyone could act fast.


	3. Chapter Three

Tom sighed deeply when he was down the road from the skate park and the group of boys now. He however, felt a slight pain in his chest on going back home. He didn't want to go back- all that would happen would be him getting yelled at, and he was tired of it.

_Maybe he somehow deserved it, but he wasn't entirely sure of that either._

He reached his house minutes later, stepping off his board and climbing up the few stairs leading to the door. Tom walked in, sweaty and panting lightly from the heat outside and from him trying to get away from the boys. He moved quickly, trying to sneak into his room before anyone could notice his banged up leg and his bare chest. 

"Where the hell is your shirt?" Tom froze, hearing what he was trying to avoid hearing. 

He bit his lip lightly, turning slightly to look over at his Dad who was standing in the kitchen with his Mom. "O-oh, what?" He asked, trying to act surprised. "Crap, I forgot it at the skate park,"

"Bullshit, don't lie to me," He snapped, coming over to Tom then. "Where the fuck is your shirt, Thomas?"

Tom felt like his whole body sank down, and he suddenly felt so little compared to the man talking in front of him. "I-I left it there, I-I'm sorry," he spoke, nervousness showing in his voice. 

"Did you really forget about it, Tom?" His Mom asked, chiming in the conversation. "You must have gotten burnt if you had it off the whole time. It's so humid outside! And the sun isn't helping.." 

_"Shut up,_ woman! He doesn't need your sympathy- I hope your skin got burnt since you were too damn stupid and took it off," 

Tom let out a quiet whine, wanting to stand up for her, but he couldn't find the courage to do that. "I'll go get it t-tomorrow," he said quickly, turning again to walk to his room. He needed to be away from them again for awhile.

He shut the door in a hurry and locked it, leaning against it after. His door was hot too- the whole house was actually. He was glad that he at least had a fan in his room. He sighed heavily and set his board down by his bed before climbing on top, and letting out another breath at how the breeze of the fan hit his burning body. 

He had to go back to the skate park now, whether he wanted to or not. 

**~ * ~**

Tom got up fairly early the next morning, taking a shower and was now getting dressed. He wanted to go early enough to the skate park in hopes that he'd avoid the group of boys he encountered the previous day. 

_Maybe they won't be there and I can just snatch my shirt and get back before they even arrive._

He grabbed his board and made his way through the house before anyone had time to question where he was going. He promised to stay out of trouble when they moved here, and he was leaving early to _avoid_ that trouble. 

He enjoyed the fact that it wasn't humid outside yet, and was happy that the sun was barely peeking over the horizon line. It was light enough to see outside, considering it was around nine AM. 

Tom eventually got to the skate park, pushing his way through the small opening in the fence, looking around after to make sure nobody was there. 

_"Thank God,"_ he breathed out, jogging over to the spot where Blue had thrown his stuff, finding his shirt still there. 

He didn't understand why his Dad wanted him to get his shirt anyway, it was a shitty, old shirt with holes that didn't look nice on him anyway. He should have changed it before he left yesterday. 

Picking it up, he frowned at the large tear that went from the center part down to the bottom. That one kid didn't have any right to rip his shirt- then again, they didn't have any right doing what they did at all yesterday. 

Blue and the gang were there early though- they always were, always have been, so they can watch for anyone entering and leaving the park until the sun started to set. Shorty noticed Tom first in the distance, his blonde hair sticking out against the grey colors of the skate rink. “Look, Butt Chin, it’s your boyfriend.”, he joked.

Mark stood up a little more to look out, seeing Shorty was right. There was Cheesy, picking his clothes up off the ground. “Oh my God, he came back for his piece of shit shirt”, Mark laughed. Even he couldn’t believe that anyone would actually do that.

“Well, let’s make him regret that then, hm?”, Blue suggested, jumping onto his board and skating over. Making noises, the other boys followed. Approaching Tom, Mark smiled a little. He looked so lost and innocent- and scared, a little scared, Mark could tell from the way he looked at his shirt and the entire demeanor of his body that he was uncomfortable being here. He had every right to be, anyway. His hair was messier than it was yesterday, and unfortunately the sun wasn’t high enough to turn his hair into the sort of cheddar-mozzarella color it was the day before. Mark laughed lightly at his own cheese references. Blue skated all the way up to Tom, grabbing his shirt from his hands again. “Hey, Cheese Head, back for more, or what? You really gonna take this piece of shit back home with you?”, he teased.

_Shit, shit shit-_ Was all Tom could think when the shirt was grabbed from his hands. He knew who it was before they even spoke. He was really hoping they'd also be the crowd that stays up all night and sleeps til after one in the afternoon.

_I guess I was wrong..._

He glared at Blue when he skated around him with his shirt, straightening his shoulders a bit like he did yesterday. "Don't wanna leave shit around everywhere, you know," he said, smirking. "You throwing that on the ground yesterday was littering, just picking it up so you won't get arrested for it,"

_No, I'm actually bringing it back home so my Dad won't kick my ass..._

Tom shrugged then, keeping his board under his feet so at least they couldn't take that from him. He cared about the shirt because of how upset his Dad got, but at the same time he didn't care if they took it. It was one he wore to death, and it needed to retire. 

Blue rolled his eyes. “If I was gonna get arrested it’d be for worse things than littering.” The boys laughed, agreeing, and Blue shoved his hands into his pockets to retrieve a lighter and a pack of smokes, showing them to Tom before taking one out and lighting it up. He blew smoke into Tom’s face immediately. It was half meant to be an act of dominance, or a way to say he was cooler, and half to demonstrate that he lived a questionable lifestyle. But that was their lifestyle. Mark shifted on his feet, his mouth already watering at the smoke. He never brought his own because Blue always shared. Mark did carry around his vape pen though, which he honestly preferred, but the pull cigarettes had on him was hard to resist. And of course Blue knew this, and he also knew that it showed his power over the whole park, his power over everyone that met him. He motioned Mark over, and Mark, excited- because Blue wanted him close, he was letting him be close, came over with no hesitation and accepted Blue’s cigarette into his mouth. He breathed out, relieved, at the taste of Blue lingering on it, and at the taste of the tobacco itself. Mark leaned against Blue but Blue straightened up, ignoring him, and watched Tom with a satisfying grin. “You’re the kind of kid who’d get arrested for something as silly as that.”

Tom closed his eyes and made a face when Blue blew the cigarette smoke in his face. He hated those things and he hated the smell of them. He let out a deep sigh, and blinked his eyes open when Mark came over and took the cigarette from Blue. 

"Those things don't make you tough," Tom snapped at him suddenly, not even meaning to. Maybe he was just angry he inhaled some of that shit. "You only wanna believe it does. Because, somewhere in there-" he said, pointing at Blue's chest. "-you're weak yourself and your hiding some insecurity with this act, and by thinking those damn things make you tougher. No, you're just killing yourself, and maybe that's what that weakness in your chest is," he smirked, knowing he really shouldn't have said that, but it wasn't like he told Blue to go do that. He was just good at trying to read people- and when people like him do rude things to other kids, it's because they have their own doubts and shit like that. 

Tom knew all this because he had them too, but he never really picked on anyone else. He usually tried hiding it and embracing a better mood to show everyone he was really happy and everything was fine, but everything wasn't fine and he, himself, felt like he was dying inside. 

“I’m not dead yet, am I?”, Blue shot back, angry now himself. Mark bobbed the cigarette in his mouth up and down, listening to Tom. He knew he was right but it was hard for him to care. Besides, he probably had no idea how good they really felt. He was spewing nonsense. Mark grinned a bit, feeling stronger himself and looking up to Blue. Blue kicked Tom’s board, but it didn’t knock it back since Tom was holding it down himself. “You’ve got a lot of nerve, Cheesehead, for talking with that kind of tone to me.” 

“Give him a cigarette and see if he still believes that shit!”, Shorty laughed, putting his hands in the air. Mark smiled and crossed his own arms, smiling at Tom now, but kept his teeth together so the cigarette wouldn’t fall out of his mouth. He liked that idea. 

And so did Blue. “Yeah, here, i’ll light you one. It’ll make you feel a lot better, maybe you’ll stop using that fucking attitude with me.” Blue nodded towards Mark. “Just look at him.” Mark hummed a response, blowing out more. Blue lit one for Tom, holding it out to him. “Come on asshole, try it.”

Tom's eyes widened at this action, and felt a slight pang of anger in him. How _dare_ they offer one of those things to him? He just said he hated it. Who do these guys think they are? They're probably old enough to smoke cigarettes, but Tom was still just a baby. He'd for sure kill his lungs before he was sixteen if he smoked now. 

He wasn't one to judge though, those are their choices, and their bodies. It wasn't any of his concern. But, who was he to tell them it was bad for them when he likes drinking as much as they probably love to smoke. He felt a small blush on his cheeks when the cigarette was held out in front of him. He felt like a hypocrite, but he could stop drinking way faster than he could stop smoking if he were addicted. 

"Fuck off, I don't want your cancer stick," he huffed, smacking it out of Blue's hand, but careful not to touch the part that was lit. He kinda hoped it touched Blue's skin though, give him a taste of his own medicine. Tom got his wish, and the small fire burned Blue’s skin before falling onto the floor. 

“Fuck!”, Blue yelled, screaming at the pain. It frightened Mark, and he quickly grabbed Blue’s hand to rub where it had been burned but Blue yelled more and swatted his hand away from Mark. Mark whined in protest and stepped on the cigarette on the floor to prevent it from starting a fire, sadly looking down at the ground as Blue continued to yell obscenities.

Tom smirked at Blue screaming in pain, feeling a laugh bubbling from his chest. It was really funny to see the karma finally smack this guy in the face. "How's it feel you piece of shit?", he breathed, _daring_ to belittle Blue. "You got what you deserve for even daring to give me a cigarette. Karma gotcha- oh, wait, more like, you just got burned by Karma," 

“I’ll show you how it fucking feels!”, Blue yelled, snatching the cigarette from Mark’s mouth. Mark immediately yelled a protest, and reached for it back, but that made Blue angrier. “Back off Mark-”, Blue used his real name, snarling at him, waving the cigarette away. Mark knew they were really mad when they started using their actual names, and knowing Blue was mad at him, _him,_ tore Mark apart and he slumped, backing away from Blue and his cigarette in defeat. Blue reached for Tom’s arm- or anywhere, really, anywhere to burn, but the movement from Mark’s mouth and then whisking it away from him seconds later was enough to burn the flame out before it even got close to Tom’s skin. Tom panicked a little on the inside when Blue tried to shove the cigarette at him, but couldn't help that small laugh that made it's way out when it burnt out before it could even touch his skin. He kept that smirk on his lips when Blue yelled at Mark, loving that they were basically all mad at each other. “This is your fault!”, he yelled, glaring at Mark. Mark didn’t attempt to defend himself. 

Shorty, still a little light, chimed in. “Hey, come on Blue you know he needs-”

“I don’t care how much he needs cigarettes or _anything_ else- that’s not important.” Mark looked away and Blue kept screeching, and Blue’s rage, Blue’s disappointment, the way Mark _needed_ to redeem himself-

Mark charged towards Tom, knocking them both down. He held Tom’s arms down, his face showing a mixture of anger and hurt, and those emotions were fueling him right now. A gasp escaped Tom when he was on the ground within the next few seconds, pinned down by Mark. He could see how hurt and angry he was through his eyes, and knew that everything this guy said meant a lot to him.  
He let out a huff, and fought against Mark holding him down, even using his legs to try and shove him away- anything to catch him off balance would be the key to get out of this. 

"G-get off me!" Tom snapped at Mark, feeling the need to now get the fuck out of there. 

Blue and the others didn’t remove Mark from Tom, and were in fact loving the unexpected show. Shorty, Chubby, and Blue cheered Mark on, yelling at him to beat the shit out him. That’s all they wanted. Revenge. Power. Tom to never return.

Mark balled Tom’s shirt in his fist, nearly choking Tom as he lifted his head and shoulders up off the pavement like this. Tom gasped, feeling his air cut off. He didn't think that they would end up doing this, but they were. _God, he's gonna kill me…_

Mark grinned, knowing how proud Blue must be, knowing how he’d get attention, knowing how he was fitting in perfectly. 

But then Mark really looked at Tom, their faces close, and he saw the shine in his eyes disappear each time Tom closed them, trying to focus on breathing. He felt Tom kicking underneath him, trying to break free but not strong enough. He saw his cheesy hair sticking to his face and most of all, Mark saw the boy he had under his violent control. Most boys under Mark’s control were begging for a different kind of release than Tom desired. 

Perhaps he could have beaten someone else, though part of Mark felt he could never _beat_ someone. This wasn’t Mark’s first fight and it wouldn’t be his last, and this wasn’t the first time he had actually hurt Tom, but it was the first time he had pounced on his own, without direction, felt himself becoming just like Blue.

And Mark’s heart rate went down, and he kept his face close to Tom’s, panting against him, and he froze, just watching him, unable to hurt him and telling himself, _punch his face in,_ but the only movement his hands made were to unravel Tom’s shirt. Tom sucked in a deep breath when his back and head hit the ground again, and Mark's hands unrolled from his shirt. He gasped a few more times, quietly, his chest rising and falling. He took this as an opportunity to shove Mark off of him, hands on Mark's chest, pushing as hard as he could. He needed to leave before one of the other boys jumped him now and they all beat the shit out of him. Mark let Tom shove him off, not even bothering to protest. Mark sat there, frozen, only his chest moving up and down steadily to breathe. 

Blue came over to Mark, ignoring Tom, who was standing up now and catching his breath. Blue grabbed his arm, pulling him up. Mark let out a gasp and came face-to-face with a very angry Blue. “What the fuck was that?”, Blue spat. “You _stopped. You let him go.”_

Mark breathed in heavily again, looking straight at Blue. He knew that. He knew he let him go.

He _let_ him go.

“I-I”, Mark stammered, starting to say something but Blue pushed Mark back, cutting him off, Mark made an oof noise.

“No excuses, you could have fucking had him.” Blue raged back, turning over and seeing Tom still standing there. “Aren’t you gonna take off, Cheesy? Since his ass fucking let you go?” Blue pointed to Mark, shaking him. Mark closed his eyes, disappointed in himself. 

Tom had staggered back a little bit once he was up, and made sure there were some distance between the group and him. His breath came out uneven, and a little bit more when Blue yanked Mark up, shoving him hard. He felt bad for this guy, how he was treated by his so called boyfriend. Tom thought it was safe to assume that relationship. He felt his breath catch slightly though at Blue's words, realizing that he did let him go. He looked like he was about ready to straight up murder him, but then something had changed in his eyes and he leg Tom go. 

Tom clenched his fists when Blue turned to him, shooting him a look for even hurting someone he's suppose to care about. Mark didn't hurt him, so he should at least pay him back for that. "Why do you let this guy push you around like this?" He asked Mark carefully, still looking at Blue, but stealing a few glances in Mark's direction. "Obviously you can do better without him, since you called the shots on shoving me into the concrete," 

Mark looked at Tom, his face dropping down a little in sadness. He knew Tom was right, but Tom also didn’t _understand._ He went to answer, but Blue immediately covered Mark’s mouth to prevent him from even trying to answer.

"Stop treating the person you're dating like shit, you don't own them," Tom directed towards Blue now, having the courage to close their space and shove him away from Mark. "He deserves to have an opinion on whether he should hurt me or not. He's not your slave, not your puppet that you tell them what to do all the time,"

Blue let Tom shove him, but Mark wasn’t too happy. Despite being treated like shit like Tom said, Mark couldn’t help jumping up for Blue’s defense. “D-Don’t touch him”, Mark said, but his voice was still weak.

Blue rolled his eyes and grinned. “Cute, act like you and I don’t go around touching other people. Cheese’s touch doesn’t mean shit.”

Mark sighed. Yeah, Blue was right… He fell back, head down again, but not daring to show anymore hurt emotion. He had already presented himself as weak too often, especially earlier when he let Tom go. Now, he wouldn’t let it be known that Blue made him completely submissive, and not just to him.

Returning to Tom, Blue crossed his arms. “Anyways, he’s not a puppet, or a slave. He does what he wants. And what he wants to do, is please me.” Mark lifted his eyes to look at Tom without lifting his actual face. Blue made him feel so _weak_ and he needed to somehow convey that it wasn’t his fault. Anyone but Blue’s fault. Blue didn’t notice, and put his hands on Tom’s chin to make sure he paid close attention. “He’ll please you too, if you ask.”

Tom didn't really trust this, but he let Blue grab his chin. His teeth clenched as he listened, but soon returned to normal when he finished talking. He didn't really understand, but he could take a guess at what that meant. 

"W-what?" He asked, giving him a look. "He already pleased me by letting me go and not listening to your dumbass for once,"

“Yeah, shut up, asshole.” Blue scoffed at Tom and moved away from him. He chewed his lip at Mark, watching him fiddle with his pockets to take his vape pen out. Blue knew Mark was in an uncomfortable situation and those always helped him. He’d offer him a cigarette, but Blue was too pissed off to. He just let Mark nervously take the pen out, inserting it into his mouth and blowing out gently. Blue huffed and turned to Tom, a little more calm now as if Mark smoking again helped him. “Listen, Cheese, you wanna stop sounding like an idiot and know this town a little better?”, he asked. “There’s a party tomorrow at one of the local kid’s house. Everyone will be there. And no, not the kind of party with goodie bags and arts and crafts”, he smirked. “You can’t miss it.”


	4. Chapter Four

Tom was ready for this party thing that he was invited to. He made sure not to act suspicious or anxious through the next day, so nobody would notice that he was up to no good. His parents went to bed early that night, and he snuck out as soon as he knew they were asleep. He wanted a night to forget about the past week or so, and this party that Blue mentioned was honestly the best thing he could possibly do for just that. At least, that’s what he told himself. 

He wasn’t quite sure about going though; he didn’t want to run into Blue and his friends, not after their last encounter- well, last few, anyway. Although, he invited him to this party, so he was kinda curious on what that invitation could have meant.

Oh well, he didn’t care. He was doing this for himself.

Of course, the first thing Tom did was check out all the people there. He was curious on what kind of party this was - although he had a good fucking guess - and what everyone was doing. He noticed the drinks people were holding, which caused a smirk to creep it’s way onto his lips. 

He was gonna forget his problems, for sure. 

Tom went up to the guy who was handing out drinks, smiling at him and asking for one, one he knew would numb his thoughts. 

“You look really young, you sure you’re allowed to drink?” The guy asked, raising an eyebrow at Tom. 

“Give me the damn drink and I won’t call the cops on your ass for giving drinks out to people who probably aren’t of age- like me,” He said quickly, frowning at the man. 

He saw the man's cheeks stain red as he hurried and poured Tom the drink, fumbling with it a bit. “Of course, here y-you go,” 

Tom grinned and took the drink from the man, winking at him before walking away. 

He was gonna have a wonderful night.

 

**~ * ~**

 

“O-oooh God, I n-need another,” Tom managed to say, as he stumbled up from his seat. The friends he had made grabbed him another drink and he cooed at the sight. He had lost count on how many he had had tonight, but like he said before he got there- he didn’t care. As long as he was having a good time. He didn’t even mind that he was going to have the worst headache matching the worst hangover in the world tomorrow. 

“M-mmf, I’ll be right b-back,” He breathed, tripping on the floor as he walked away from his new friends. He hiccuped as he walked around, taking a large sip of his drink. He shook lightly as he got chills from the drink, despite how it actually burned going down his throat. He _loved_ that feeling.

Tom continued walking around, stumbling over everything and everyone, until he heard a few familiar voices, and decided to follow where they were. He slid past some people, eyeing the group of guys he’d seen the past few days. 

“O-ooooh my God, Hi~!” He exclaimed loudly, hiccuping after as he walked over to the boys. “S’ about time y’all showed u-up,”

Blue and the squad had just showed up, looking around in delight at all the party go-ers, his eyes lighting up when he heard Tom. Mark, however, was taken aback by Tom's appearance. This kid was fucking _wasted._ It was funny though, sure, and Mark smiled a bit. He wouldn't expect Tom to be the kind to get smashed, he just didn't seem it, but he sure did grow to appreciate it as time went on.

Blue was completely amused at Tom's drunk ass. This was exactly the kind of thing him and his friends lived for. Shorty and Chubby were giggling, and Blue stepped forward.

“Hey Cheesey, yeah, sorry we’re late. We like to show up when the party’s on fire. I see you know what I mean.”, he winked, and pulled Tom against him. Mark felt his breath catch in his throat- Blue was close to Tom, and Mark was jealous. Of both of them.

Since the drinks had kicked in a long time ago, Tom had forgotten how much he didn’t like these guys, and instead tried joining them - maybe they’d be a bit more fun with a few drinks in them.  
Tom knew he was.

He was surprised though when Blue pulled him close, and he giggled and took another sip of his drink. “This stuff is the s-shit!” he said loudly, happily drinking some more. “I’m glad I-I found you guys, those other people I m-met over there were getting kinda boring,” he continued, getting ready to go on a rambling fit like usual- drunk or not.

“Well, we won't bore you”, Blue swore, and all of them, even Mark, chuckled. Mark's chuckle disappeared though when Blue took a swig of Tom's drink, returning it to him after Tom babbled in protests.  
Shorty looked up at Tom, smiling wide. “Wanna play a game, Cheesey?”, he asked.

Tom smiled up a Blue happily, knowing that they wouldn’t bore him. He looked over at the couch where the other three were sitting, looking so fast that he got dizzy and almost fell over. 

“Woah, o-oookay, too many,” he huffed, before smiling at them. “Yeah! I-I’m down for a game,”

“Good.”, Shorty smiled, snickering at Blue. Blue grabbed Tom's free hand gently and led him over to the other three. Mark had by now already gotten his own bottle of beer, sipping at it slowly. He sat at the edge of the couch, next to Shorty and Chubby. They smiled when Blue led Tom over. Shorty spoke again. “Truth or dare, Cheesey?”

Tom stumbled a little on the way over to the couch, even though he had Blue’s support by holding his hand. He noticed how the couch was taken, and smiled at Mark, who he first saw. “Is this seat taken?”, He asked cutely, already sitting in Mark’s lap without permission, smirking at him. “Good, I’m glad it’s not,” he breathed, sipping the last little bit of his drink. “F-fuck I want a-another,” he whined, but his attention was stolen when Shorty asked him about the game. “O-oh, dare, of course,”

Mark blinked, everything happening so fast. He set his drink on the table beside them, so he could put his hands on Tom to keep him from falling, because with how drunk he was, he was gonna end up face-planting the floor. Mark let out a breath, his hands on Tom, and Tom on his fucking _lap._ It made him blush, and he looked up at him. At least Tom was a really, really happy drunk.

Blue smiled lightly at Tom, seeing the way he sat on Mark. It amused him. “Mark's comfortable, hmm?”, Blue asked, using Mark's name to tease him. He knew Mark preferred it, and he looked over at Blue with a small desperate whine that partly said help me, and partly said fuck.

Tom hummed and leaned over Mark to set his empty cup on the table next to them. “Mmm, y-yeah,” he breathed, and cuddled up against Mark, sweetly. He really was comfortable- he could stay sitting here all night. 

Mark made a small gasp when Tom cuddled up against him. “J-Jesus, you're hot”, Mark breathed, feeling heat radiate off Tom. Mark blushed though, aware of the double meaning that was just as valid. 

This all gave Blue a good idea, and he decided to tell Tom the dare Shorty had offered earlier. “Hey, so your dare?”, Blue grinned, sipping on his own drink. “I dare you to grind on Mark, he loves boys like you in his lap.”

Mark stiffened and his face flushed a deep shade of red, and he looked at Tom nervously. “Oh no you don't have to-”, he sweated. Mark wasn't sure how he'd react because Mark knew well that Tom was the kind of boy capable of turning him on. 

Tom had closed his eyes, really liking how comfy Mark was. He sighed slightly when Blue spoke, mentioning his dare. His head popped up and he looked over at him, almost falling, but thankful that Mark had hands on him to hold him up. “Ooooh, wow, getting to that stuff right a-away, huh?” He said, smirking over at them. 

Blue and his friends giggled, of course they were gonna skip to the good stuff. Mark's red beet face made it even better.

Tom gave his attention back to Mark, hearing his protests against the dare. “Don’t a-act like you wouldn’t _looooove_ it,” he breathed, winking at him. 

“Trust me, he would _loooove_ it”, Blue agreed, mimicking Tom's words and smirking at them both.

“Shut up”, Mark breathed, his hands tightening on Tom's waist. He looked up at him. “Come on Cheesey, you're drunk, you don't know what you're d-doing..”

Tom blinked at Mark when he said he didn't even know what he was doing. Well, shit, he might be young but he knew what he was doing. "O-oh, you don't think I know how to do _this?"_ He said, hiccuping in between a few words. Tom bit his lip lightly, watching Mark's face as he pressed his hips forward and down, rolling them against Mark's a little rough to start. He was drunk, and if this was anything like he'd be expecting, then he wouldn't wanna start slow. 

Mark gasped loudly, _holy shit, he was actually doing it._ Mark honestly hadn't really expected him to do it. Tom really didn't know what he was getting himself into, but now Mark didn't want to tell Tom to stop because he felt his temperature rising and Tom felt _good._ Especially the way he was watching him, that was so hot. That was something Mark would do, and he couldn't resist letting his head fall back. His lips parted and a small moan escaped.

Blue whistled, followed by Shorty and Chubby. “Ooh, he rub against you good, Mark?”, he teased and Mark whined. If Blue was going to start talking it would be a lot harder for Mark to stop, but Blue had to know that.

Tom watched Mark's head fall back against the couch, and he couldn't help but giggle quietly. He was really enjoying how he was getting to this guy so fast. He pressed his hips down a bit more gentle now, teasing. His hands slipped down Mark's chest and to the bottom of his shirt, making sure his fingers ran across the little bit of skin showing from his shirt riding up. "Mm, damn r-right I rub him good," Tom replied for Mark, letting out his own little whine followed by a breath after. 

Mark fidgeted underneath Tom when he felt his bare hands on his skin. He was breathing roughly, most of it just from pure shock that this was happening. His eyes widened at Tom's words and Mark let out a louder moan at Tom's whine. “Shit”, Mark breathed, his hips rolling back up against Tom’s. He had to stop, he had to, Tom was drunk, but he was so good at this-

Blue smirked. “See Cheesey? Butt-Chin can't resist. He thinks you're hot you know.”, Blue pressed, grateful Tom wasn't sober enough to tell him off again about the way he treated Mark.

Tom whined slightly louder, and his hips bucked against Mark's when he felt him rubbing back against him. He felt _really_ good. Tom leaned closer to Mark, his lips brushing his ear. "Told y-ya I knew what I was doin'," he said, his words sort of mixed together in a slur from being so drunk. "You feel _sooo_ good," he breathed, nibbling on Mark's ear a bit, smiling after. Mark gasped.

Blue made whistles again, and Shorty and Chubby were laughing their assess off because no one actually thought Tom would be so good at this. Maybe they had a lot more in common than they thought with this boy.

Mark was just as shocked, not expecting to be under someone's spell this easily but Tom had him good. Mark fumbled with his hands, growing weaker, trying to push Tom off him, or at least just get him to stop. It's not that Mark wanted Tom to stop, that was the last thing he wanted. Mark just had morals, uncommon amongst his friends, but he had them. As much as he moved from guy to guy and the occasional girl, he wouldn't ever take advantage of someone who couldn't give consent. 

Right now, Tom was someone like that.

“C-Cheese, p-please, you're d-drunk, nngh”, Mark breathed, trying his hardest to hold Tom still. He didn't know how to tell Tom to stop because he was so ridiculously drunk. 

_The drink._

Apparently, Tom loved alcohol, because he was perhaps the most drunk kid here. Mark knew this wasn't much of a better option, but he’ll take care of Tom later. He’ll make sure he didn't get himself into more shit. Mark let out a smaller whine, letting go of Tom's waist to lean over and grab his bottle quickly. “H-hey”, he breathed heavily, trying to snatch Tom's attention. “S-stop moving on m-me and I'll give you the r-rest.”. If Tom was anything like Mark and his cigarettes, he wouldn't be able to resist. 

“Aww come on Mark, that's no fun, you were already so close”, Blue grinned, earning a moan from Mark, who moved his head over slightly to glare at him.

Tom was breathing hard now, his head falling back slightly. He held Mark's shirt tighter, and resisted his pushes to try and get him off. He wanted to hear Mark make more of those beautiful noises he was letting out. Mark’s actions caught his attention though, watching him reach over for his own drink, offering it to Tom. He bit his lip lightly, really wanting the drink, and stopping his movements like Mark asked. 

"Y-yeah, I need some m-mmoore," He breathed out, taking the bottle from Mark, and sipping it lightly. 

Mark sighed out of relief, his head leaning against the sofa more relaxed now. He focused on his breathing, calming himself down, thankful that he wouldn’t feel the guilt of taking advantage of something like that. He smiled a bit, rubbing Tom’s back while he sipped on the bottle happily. “There you go”, Mark breathed, making sure he didn’t fall over. Tom was kind of cute, for sure. He remembered yesterday, freezing when he really looked at him and he was like that again now too. Holding Tom felt somehow pure to Mark too, perhaps because he felt in this state he was so fragile and vulnerable, and Mark knew that no one here would even try to take care of him.

“Well, that was fun while it lasted”, Shorty laughed. 

Chubby smiled, pointing at Mark. “He’s so in love”, he joked. 

Blue smirked. “Your turn, Mark.”

Mark rolled his eyes, and looked at Tom. “Okay, gimme a truth then”, he said softly, not feeling up to the challenge.

“Bullshit, give him a dare”, Blue said.

Tom finished the bottle fairly quickly, and reached over to set it on the table, but it instead fell to the floor, breaking. He blushed lightly, and giggled about it. "W-wwhooooooooooopsie." 

Tom hiccuped and looked over at everyone while they talked, realizing it was his turn to give Mark a truth or dare. Mark had said truth, so Tom tried thinking of one that was really good, until Blue protested against it. 

"Y-you want a dare, M-marky?" He breathed, smiling at him, before looking back at the two other boys on the couch with them. Mark blushed in return. _Marky?_

"Kiss h-him," Tom said quietly, hiccuping once more, as he pointed to Shorty. He thought it'd be really, really funny. 

Mark pfted at Tom’s dare. That was nothing. A little gross, considering Shorty’s hair was greasier than most fast food, but it wasn’t like Mark never kissed anybody. He looked over at Shorty and grinned. “Alright, fine, come here”, he giggled.

Shorty blushed lightly and didn’t really want to do it. “I-I mean, Cheese is in the way-” Blue rolled his eyes and shoved Shorty off the couch, pushing him towards Mark. They all laughed.

Tom noticed Blue shoving Shorty off the couch and towards Mark, and he realized he was in the way of the dare. 

"O-oh lemme m-move," he sighed cutely, wiggling his way off of Mark's lap, falling back as he did, falling onto the floor. "Oof-" he huffed, but laughed after, and laid back against the floor instead of sitting there. 

“O-oh”, Mark stood up quickly to try and help Tom, but not before Chubby, who was sitting next to him, shoved him back down. Blue giggled at that and stretched out more to further push Shorty away. “Nah-uh, you gotta kiss him. Our drunken friend can watch from the floor. He’s fine..” 

Blue grinned, and Mark chewed his lip. “Fine”, he said, stealing a final glance at Tom before turning his attention to Shorty. He pulled him forward into his lap and Shorty blushed. “You know”, Mark started, smiling a little. “I’ve kissed a lot of people, but I think you might be the grossest one i’d ever have to kiss.” Chubby and Blue laughed, but it turned to ooh’s when Mark actually did it.

Tom sat up from the floor, holding his head. He wasn’t feeling the greatest, but he figured another drink could numb that feeling too. He noticed Mark actually doing the dare, and ooh’d with Blue and Chubby, giggling cutely after. 

“Ooo-oh, yay,” he huffed, crawling over to Mark’s legs and grabbed onto him so he could at least try and stand himself up. He succeeded, but wobbled a little bit. “Hmmmph- I’m gonna g-go get anoth-errr,” 

Mark pushed Shorty off of him with an oof when Tom grabbed onto his legs, looking down at him. His eyes widened when Tom suggested getting another drink, and Mark grabbed his hand quickly before he could leave. “N-no, you're beyond wasted. You're staying here”, Mark said.

Tom turned to leave, but jerked back a little when Mark grabbed his hand. He blinked at him, hearing him say he didn’t need anymore, which led Tom to whine loudly. “B-buuut, noooo-” he tried escaping Mark’s grip then. “I-I need o-one mo-moore.” 

Mark moved to yank Tom back again, but Blue made sure he stayed down. “Hey, hey, let him go get another”, Blue smiled. “That’s none of your business, baby.” Blue saw the name affect Mark because he relaxed, and Blue grabbed the arm Mark held out for Tom instead, pulling towards him. Mark knew what he meant without question, and melted as he was led onto Blue’s lap. Blue smirked and pulled Mark’s lips into his, into which Mark melted and pushed against him. Blue’s lips were so good on Mark’s, Mark could never get enough- in reality, he never really did, and when they touched it was all Mark could think about. He brought his hands to Blue’s face but Blue moved them, wanting to be in control, instead bringing his own to Mark’s face. Mark hummed and melted more, weak under his spell.

Tom made a hmph noise again, hiding the hiccups that were bubbling from his chest. He smiled at the two sweetly, before leaving them to go grab another drink from the guy that had been passing them out. 

The guy gave Tom a look- and Tom knew what that meant, it meant he had too much and this dude was not gonna give him anymore. Tom glared at the man, and held his hand out, demanding for another. He held two fingers up near his eyes, then pointed them at the guy, then back at himself. 

"F-fine, but I'm not responsible if you end up on the street tonight," He huffed, handing Tom a bottle of beer this time. Tom smiled and winked at him before heading back to his friends. Well, he wouldn't call them friends- if he wasn't drunk, that is. 

"Woooooo! L-look at you two," Tom hummed, coming up to Blue and Mark and wrapping arms around them, spilling some of his drink on them in the process. "Y-you guys are so f-fucking obvious but so discreet at the s-same f-fuckin' time, hhmmph, g-glad you’re giving him the attention he f-fuckin’ deserves n-now. O-otherwise, I’ll take a seat again, and wiggle my hips around, h-huh?" 

Blue and Mark separated from each other quickly, both of them jumping when the cold beer was spilled on them. Blue wasn’t mad though, surprisingly, because he couldn’t believe how drunk Tom was. It was freaking hilarious. Mark shook a bit from the cold, and instead looked up at Tom sadly. “S-shit”, he breathed. “Cheese, y-you need to go-.”

“Didn’t you hear the second part? Either kiss me again, or let him grind on you. It’s your decision”, Blue grinned, using Tom’s words against him instead of maintaining their insulting nature. “But like he said, I never give you attention, so you wouldn’t dare waste this moment, hmm? Especially now that we’re both wet?”

“It’s beer”, Mark smiled, laughing a little, and Blue narrowed his eyes and pulled Mark back, holding his waist this time so he couldn’t move away. Mark melted again, uncontrollably. He was so under his spell, a spell he couldn’t break because everything was screaming at him to get Tom out of here but everything was screeching Blue when he felt his tongue lick his lips.

Tom hummed at the couple, before leaving them again, taking Mark's seat on the couch, since Mark had found a new one. He took a huge sip off the bottle, leaning back onto the couch. His mind was racing with thoughts - good ones, created shadows on the bad ones that were there previously before he had his first drink. 

"H-hey, hmmmph, we didn't f-finish our game," He said loudly, sitting up, gasping because he suddenly just realized they didn't continue. "W-we only did two dares! C-can't end like that- y-your tu-turn.”

Blue pulled away slowly from Mark when Tom spoke, dragging out Mark’s lip as he did. Mark whined when they were disconnected and he ignored Tom to lean in for more, but Blue turned his head. “No, no, it’s time to play, didn’t you hear him?”, Blue smiled. Mark knew Blue was just teasing and Mark pulled on Blue’s shirt desperately, but Blue ignored Mark’s pleas. “Let’s see”, he said instead. Shorty and Chubby, by now, were both already on several drinks themselves and were definitely borderline drunk. They didn’t seem interested in the game much more and Blue didn’t mind, because Tom was entertaining enough on his own anyway. He looked at Mark, desperation still in his eyes. “It doesn’t look like those two are interested in playing anymore. So, do you want a dare, or truth?”

Mark pfted. “I dare you to kiss me again.”

Blue rolled his eyes. “You’re so stupid.”

Tom giggled at the two, and leaned back into the couch. “Kiss meeee,” he smiled, sipping the bottle again. He thought that’d be funny to join in on the conversation like that. 

Blue laughed a little and pushed Mark further back. “Yeah, why don’t you kiss him?”, he said, thinking Tom had a great idea. 

Mark though, panicked inside, because he didn’t want to kiss Tom- not like this, anyway, not when Tom had no idea what he was saying and would have no memory of any of this night tomorrow. He whined at Blue, wanting him. “B-but.”

Tom smiled stupidly at them, leaning more into the couch. Wow, this thing was so damn comfy. He closed his eyes, feeling them get heavy along with the rest of his body. His beer slipped from his hand, falling onto the floor then breaking, just like Mark's bottle did earlier when he went to move it. He fell asleep then, having no intention of waking up for hours and hours, the alcohol putting him in a deeper sleep than he usually fell into. 

Blue did, rub his nose against Mark’s to make up for it. It didn’t feel like that long but it must have been (unless Tom passed out that fast?), because the breaking of another bottle separated them once again and Mark jumped off of Blue, seeing Tom asleep on the couch. That was it, he had to take him home. 

He sighed and leaned down to pick Tom up in his arms, Blue raising an eyebrow. “What are you doing?”

Mark shot him a look. “I’m taking him home. He needs to go home.”


	5. Chapter Five

Tom stirred a bit the next morning, blinking his eyes open slightly when the sunlight hit his face. He groaned, turning over, and pulling the blanket that was wrapped around him over his shoulder. His head was pounding, and all he wanted was to go back to sleep. Except, something caught his eye, and he nearly jumped out of his skin.

 

He was facing a wall, but he knew that wasn't the color of his room; he tugged the blankets more, noticing those weren't his either. "W-what," Tom breathed quietly, sitting up slowly. He looked down, and let out a small sigh at how his clothes were still on and intact. Tom looked around the room, and noticed the body next to him, and realized it was someone he knew all too well for only meeting the guy two, three days ago.

 

_Why am I in his bed? What the fuck happened?_

 

He felt panicked, and felt the need to leave this place before Mark woke up. He had another pain strike him in the chest when he remembered he never told his parents where he was going or that he was even going anywhere last night.

 

_Holy shit, I'm going to die._

 

Tom crawled out of the bed fast, tripping on his way down, his head hurting badly. "S-shit," he huffed, picking himself up and running out into the hallway, searching for the bathroom, at least so he could hide and think about everything that could have happened last night, and what excuse he was going to use to try and not have his parents kill him. Well, more like have is Dad kill him. He knew his Mom would just be glad he was safe and home.

 

Tom shut the door too loudly, hands shaking from nervousness. He flicked the lock, and leaned against the door, sliding down til he sat on the floor, hands holding his head. "G-god, I should have never w-went,"

 

Mark’s eyes shot open when he heard a door slam in his house. He didn’t sleep well the previous night, because he was worried about Tom and just wanted to keep an eye on him. So he decided sleeping next to him was a safe bet too, that way he could make sure Tom didn’t do anything else stupid. Except now Tom woke up first, so it probably just terrified him more than anything. He sat up, groaning from moving too fast while still half-asleep, but looked next to him to see Tom was gone. “Cheese!”, Mark yelled, voice hoarse. He felt stupid to still be calling him that, but he had no other name to call him. Mark rubbed his eyes and ran his hands through his hair quickly before climbing out of bed and searching his house, seeing his bathroom door closed. _There._

 

He tapped on the door lightly, wanting Tom to know he wasn’t a threat. “Cheese?”, he asked again, more quietly this time. ‘Are you okay?” Mark wouldn’t be surprised if he was throwing up in there after all that alcohol.

 

Tom jumped when he heard the light tapping on the door, and his body only shook more when he heard Mark's voice from the other side. He didn't want to answer him, but there was no other way out of this bathroom, and Mark would be waiting outside for him no matter what. He didn't feel too well either, but he knew he could hold down his alcohol- he'd just feel like shit the remainder of the next day. "H-hang on," he breathed, voice a little rough from last nights yelling, drinking, and just waking up from a long ass sleep. Tom bit his lip, standing up and turning on the water in the sink, and splashing some up on his face to wake him up and to try and clear his thoughts.

 

_Just tell him you're okay, thank him, and be on your way…_

 

Tom sighed, turning off the water. He went to the door and clicked the lock, opening it slowly, seeing Mark waiting outside the door like he assumed. Mark smiled, and he also let out a sigh of relief. Tom looked alright. Obviously a little sickly, but he was going to be alright. “Hey”, Mark said, scratching his head nervously. He blushed a bit. “Uh, so, I'm sure you've got a bunch of questions and I'll be happy to answer them all. To start, this is my parent’s house, but they're not home, so it's just me.”

 

Tom chewed on his lip nervously, glancing down the hall after Mark said this was his parents house, then looking back at him when he mentioned they weren't home. "O-okay," he said quietly, his eyes dropping down to his feet now, shifting a little. "I-I should be going home, they're going to kill me when I get there b-but-"

 

“I-I think you should wait until the alcohol is gone”, Mark suggested, cutting Tom off and playing with his thumbs. “I'm not legal to drink myself, so there's no fucking way you are. You're not home anyway, it's better you just get yelled at for running away rather than running away _and_ coming home drunk, right?” Mark sighed.

 

Tom shot Mark a look, but soon got a dizzy spell from it from focusing too hard. He held a hand up to his head, holding it lightly. "I-I'm not drunk anymore," he said, refusing to believe otherwise. He was very conscious about what was happening around him and what Mark was telling him. He just felt very sick and dizzy at the moment.

 

Mark shrugged. “Suit yourself. But you're welcome to stay as long as you need to. I'm not gonna hurt you.” Mark moved out of the way then, to give Tom space to leave if he really chose to. “Anyways, I'd like to brush my teeth and wash my face if you don't mind, and I guess if you want, I'll drive you home or I'll answer all your questions. And don't try walking- you don't know where you are, don't be stupid.”

 

Tom let out a huff at Mark, moving out of his way of the bathroom. “I'm not stupid,” he mumbled, walking back to the room he had woken up in. “Obviously,” He wanted to leave- he was sure that maybe he could figure his way home, but it might take him til the end of the night.

 

He sat on the bed slowly, feeling it dip beneath his weight. He looked around the room, taking in the details more now that he was slightly less panicked than he was earlier. He assumed this was Mark's room, judging by what he was seeing. He had similar stuff to Tom, the skateboard, some band posters, the random clothes all over the place- and most importantly, he saw a bass sitting over in the corner.

 

_Huh, so he plays too?_

 

While Tom was admiring. Mark's room, Mark brushed his teeth and combed his hair, putting it in his signature style of sticking his bangs up and laying the remaining bit of his hair flat. He washed his face and let out a relaxing breath when he was ready to leave the bathroom. He felt so much better, being this awake now. He went back into his room, smiling when he saw Tom. He didn't ask about what he was staring at. He could guess, but Tom didn't seem like he wanted to talk anyway. Which was fine- Mark wasn't necessarily planning on being his friend. He was too hot to be his friend, anyway. “So, do you wanna play some Twenty Questions shit and get to know me, and I'll get to know you, and tell you all about yesterday and how fucking smashed you were, or, I'll take you home, and judging from what you said, you won't have a very good time there, will you?”

 

Tom felt his face heat up a little, just from knowing he drank way too much last night. He wasn't oblivious to it though, he could tell from how bad he felt at this moment. The heat in his face only increased when Mark asked if he wanted to play Twenty Questions. He really wanted to get to know about him? Even after he treated his friends like shit?

 

“U-uh, we can play, I guess,” Tom said quietly, looking up at Mark now instead of over at the corner of the bedroom. He pushed himself off the bed, grabbing the blanket with him and slipped onto the floor, sitting there, hoping Mark would join him so it wouldn't be so weird just sitting on the bed. “You can go first.”

 

Mark smiled, happy with that answer. “Good”, he breathed. Noticing Tom sitting on the floor, Mark came over to join him, blushing a little bit. “Okay. First question. Let's start easy.” Mark sucked in a breath, completely aware that he was going to speak to Tom in a way he'd never dare to speak to anyone publically, or, the way he hadn't spoken to anyone in a while. He always kept a certain ego, but Mark knew Tom deserved nothing but honesty. Oddly enough, Mark wasn't concerned about being honest with him. “Listen, calling you Cheesey was funny at first but now, I just wanna know what the fuck your name is”, he breathed.

 

Tom smiled a bit, feeling more comfortable when Mark joined him on the floor. He laughed a little at that name his group of friends had chosen for him. “My name is Tom,” he breathed back quietly, feeling that blush creep back into his cheeks. “And your name is Mark, right? Making sure I heard that clearly the other day.”

 

Mark giggled. “Yeah, except last night, you called me ‘Marky’”. Mark blushed a little and smiled at Tom. Gee, he really was adorable. “Okay, Tom”-, Mark sucked in and breath quickly. He wasn't used to real names. “What's your question?”

 

Tom chewed his lip and couldn't help but look away from Mark for a moment when he saw him blush- which made him do the same, but ten times brighter now. He coughed lightly and turned back to face Mark. “Uhm, so, I noticed the bass in the corner and the band posters in the wall. Do you like playing similar genres of music or something? Or maybe you write your own?”

 

Mark smiled lightly at Tom blushing- this was just going to become a cycle if Mark didn't look away. Thankfully, Tom's question gave him an excuse to look at his bass, so he took advantage and looked in the direction to hide his face. “O-oh, no, I'm pretty shitty on bass but it's fun to play punk rock covers.” Mark laughed. Well, I guess it's a pretty shitty bass itself. I'll buy a new one someday- n-not that I don't like that one.” Mark added the last part quickly but he moved on before Tom could question. Maybe a serious question would be a good distraction. His eyes darted back to Tom. “What do you remember about last night?”

 

Tom smiled when Mark mentioned the punk rock covers he liked to play. “I like playing those too, I play guitar, so I understand the whole thing about being shitty- even if you've been practicing for years,” he laughed, before it died down when Mark mentioned last night. “I remember sneaking out after my parents went to sleep, getting to the party, having the guy passing out drinks question me. I told him if he questioned me again I'd call the cops- which was kinda a dick move on my part- but, I got as many drinks as I wanted last night. Uh, I sat down with a group of people. I found you guys… and that part is kinda a blur I mean I remember a few things like we played a game, you offered me a drink, and I fell on the floor laughing- but in between that stuff and whatever came after that, I don't remember-”

 

“Guitar? Really?”, Mark smiled. Tom seemed a lot cooler than they originally had thought, and Mark liked that. He listened closely to Tom explaining the party though, because Mark knew this was important. He would have to tell Tom everything. He tapped his foot against the floor, thinking of where to start. Maybe just his drinks. “Well, I will tell you first, you were drunk out of your fucking mind, and that's why you're here, because. I wasn't leaving you passed out on the couch alone. I-I'm not a bad kid.” Mark huffed. Or so he said. He looked down. “So we played Truth or Dare. And you..” Mark giggled. “You're a very happy, outgoing drunk. I guess it's my responsibility to tell you that uh..well...uh you were dared by Blue to grind on me and you were...really, really happy to do so.” Mark let out a breath, face red, and looked at Tom's face, hoping he wouldn't be disgusted or anything. _And oh yeah, I didn't mind it._

 

Tom was very curious on what his dumbass did last night while he was wasted. Ah, so the game they played was Truth or Dare, awesome. He continued listening to Mark, eyes wide at the last part. “W-what?” he asked, voice shaking a little. Did he really do that to Mark? Why didn't anyone stop him, was it funny to them?

 

Something clicked in his head then, remembering the reason why Mark offered Tom his drink. “Y-you gave me the drink so I’d get my stupid ass off of y-you, o-oh my god,”

 

Mark blushed, but this time it was out of embarrassment because of how he had shown weakness, something frowned upon by his friends. But dammit, he had morals. “Y-you were drunk, I wasn't gonna let you get off when you didn't know what the fuck you were doing. I'm just glad the drink worked.” Mark huffed. “If you care to know, you were really good, by the way, if you're the kind of guy that likes hearing that. And that's a compliment, coming from me”, Mark said, smirking at the last part. It was true though, Tom was a lot better than other people who had done the same for Mark. Maybe that was just because he was drunk, though.

 

Tom closed his eyes, lip between his teeth again. He felt really bad and embarrassed about doing that to Mark without any sort of knowledge or remembrance or it at all. “I-I’m-” he started, but then Mark gave him praise, making Tom look back at him. “R-really?” He said, quietly.

 

“Well sure, I mean, you said it yourself that you knew what you were doing. That was proven true..” Mark giggled a bit. “You wanted to kiss me, too, later that night, but I think that's just because I was kissing-”, Mark stopped then, rambling too much. He didn't want to talk about Blue. “Nevermind.”, he huffed.

 

“O-oh,” Tom breathed, making a face when Mark stopped his sentence too short. “Do you kiss a lot of people or just _him?_ ” He dared asking. “I-I just remembered the dare I gave you last night, so I figured I'd ask,”

 

Mark crossed his arms at the question. Anything but this topic. He had to answer though- at least somehow. “I kissed that greasy freak, didn't I?”, Mark asked back, a little snappy. “That answers your question then.” Mark started letting out audible breaths, clearly bothered by the fact and bothered even more how he was showing it so obviously. “It doesn't matter. Next question.”

 

Tom felt that all too familiar pang in his chest, feeling awful now that he asked Mark that question. He seemed to be touchy on that subject and so far, anything that had to do with Blue made him all huffy. “I-It’s your turn to ask me,” He replied quietly, pulling his knees to his chest.

 

Mark knew he hurt Tom's feelings, but he hurt everyone somehow, and Tom wasn't any different. “Okay then. You're new here. You going to the high school? What grade? Junior? Can't be a senior, I would guess I'm at least one year older than you”, Mark said, arms still crossed.

 

Tom sank down a little bit, feeling the need to make himself smaller.

 

_Oh no, he's asking this question already._

 

“I-I'm a freshman,” he admitted, his face turning completely red. He buried his face in his knees to hide his embarrassment. He didn't wanna tell Mark his age- if he had met someone that looks his age, he'd maybe tell them. But Mark and his friends were clearly older than him by _at least two_ years. There's no fucking way he'd tell them- but now that Mark posed the question, he was obligated to answer it.

 

Mark blinked at Tom, taken by surprise at the answer. “Y-you're that young?” Mark whistled a bit. “Wow. I'm 16. I'll be 17 in March. Damn. So you're 14?”, Mark guessed, looking Tom up and down now.

 

Tom let out a little whine and used the blanket to hide himself from Mark, who was looking him up and down now. “T-turning 14,” he corrected Mark. “M-middle of December,”

 

“Well that's in just a little under a month”, Mark breathed. School had just started and it hadn't been November for long. “My god, you're barely hitting 14 and you had three drinks last night- _that I knew of.”_ , Mark said in disbelief. “Heavy drinker, not even I could do that.”

 

Tom moved the blanket now, not expecting Mark to react the way he did. He thought he'd tease him for being a baby still. Although, he wasn't anymore- he knew that for sure. His cheeks heated up slightly though. “I lost count after five,” he breathed, shrugging his shoulders at Mark. “Wanting to clear my head of negative thoughts really gets me in trouble, I guess. S’ why we had to move here in the first place…”

 

“Maybe if your drinking is such a problem, you shouldn't go to parties”, Mark said, chewing on his lip a bit. “Especially parties I go to.”

 

“It was one time!” Tom huffed loudly, crossing his arms. “My parents left the alcohol out and I got curious so I had some. And now that I knew how wonderful it felt when it burned down my throat, I wanted more of it,”

 

“I'd offer you one right now, because I'd be lying if I told you I didn't steal my parents liquor either, but you've gotta let all that out of your system first. That was an insane amount. I'm surprised I didn't have to call the hospital.” Mark sighed, and started playing with the blanket. “Was it worth it, though?”, he asked after some time. He looked away. “Because when I smoke, I think it's worth it. Just to have a few relaxing moments to yourself. So yeah, you could have hurt yourself, and I might be hurting myself but..” Mark chewed on his lip more. If Blue knew half of the stuff he was saying, he'd be kicked out.

 

“I know I shouldn't be doing this, especially with my age, but I just-” Tom huffed again- he couldn't believe he was telling Mark all this- he didn't need to know about his problems. “Point is, yeah, I guess it made me feel good. Okay, next question. Why did you even bring me home after last night? You guys all hate me, why not have left me there?”

 

Mark snorted in amusement when Tom pulled the same ‘next question’ card on him. He kind of wanted to use it again though at the next question Tom chose. How could he answer that without wrecking the ego he put on outside? Mark sighed and refused to look at Tom for this one. “Maybe”, he said. “But that doesn't mean I'd wanna see you tossed around the floor naked the next day, wondering where your clothes are- wondering what happened, and knowing- I could have done something. I'm not your friend and I don't plan to be- but that doesn't mean I don't care.” Mark spoke without emotion, just trying to get through it before Tom realized how much of a softie he really was.

 

Tom's eyes lowered to the floor as Mark continued to answer his question. He didn't expect Mark to wanna be his friend, so why did it hurt so bad when he actually said it? His eyes shifted up to Mark's face then, giving him a small smile at the least. “Thank you,” he breathed quietly.

 

Mark nodded, and let out a small sigh, arms crossing harder. “You should know I care”, he said quietly. Mark didn't want to say it, but he realized it was obvious anyway. “I let you go, remember?”

 

Tom made a face then, and nodded slightly at that. “Of course,” he breathed, before sighing heavily. He noticed the tension in the air and the mood changing a bit. “I thought you were gonna kill me, I couldn't breathe,”

 

“I wouldn't kill you”, Mark breathed, scratching his head. He wanted to say he wouldn't hurt him, but Mark knew he was already losing street credit here. Although the real question is: Was it still worth defending some of it? There wasn't much left by now. Tom would already be able to tell Mark was different. He shifted on the blanket, pulling some of it underneath himself. “I'm sorry about that. I didn't really mean to choke you”, he apologized.

 

Tom shrugged again at that this time, playing with his hands. “I-It’s alright,” he sighed. “I'm sure you didn't mean to do that. You were angry.”

 

Mark didn't want to say anything to that, and he instead turned to look at Tom. He smiled a bit. “You know, speaking of anger, you sure do tell my friends the snarkiest of things”, Mark laughed a little. “It's kind of funny, when you're not touching Blue.” Mark growled a bit at the end, instinctively pouncing to defend him.

 

Tom let out a small, breathy laugh that only lasted a few seconds before he jumped, hearing Mark growl at him. “H-hey, he got what he h-had comin’,”

 

“That's what you'll end up getting”, Mark said, narrowing his eyebrows at Tom. He stayed quiet for a few more seconds then, thinking of what to say. Mark was itchy now with thoughts of Blue, knowing he was with someone else right now. So was Mark, but Mark wasn't planning on fucking Tom, and Mark was certain that Blue was most certainly making someone else scream right now. It made Mark angry enough to answer Tom's kissing question. “You know what Tom, yeah, I do kiss a lot of people.”

 

Tom blinked up at Mark suddenly, taken back by him answering his question from earlier. “O-oh,” he said nervously. “Y-you don't have to answer anything y-you don't want to, Mark,” he breathed quietly, knowing something was wrong, he could see it all over Mark's face that he'd been thinking hard about this.

 

“It's fine, they'll just make it obvious anyway. They've been trying to get me to kiss you ever since you first showed up so”, Mark shrugged. “It doesn't matter. That's what Blue does, so that's what I do, and it's fine.” Mark bit down on his lip. “They know I'm with you but they probably have different ideas in mind.”

 

“You don't gotta do what he does you know,” Tom dared to say, knowing how much their relationship meant to Mark. “Don’t be his puppet. Be the star of your own show. Be who you are- not who someone wants you to be.”

 

“I said it's fine”, Mark repeated, letting out a breath. “I am a star, by the way”, Mark giggled. He felt they could both use a lighter mood anyway. He changed the subject slightly then. “How about you?”

Tom gave Mark a questioning look, slightly confused on what he meant by in the question. “W-what?” he asks ked quickly. “W-what about me?”

 

“Do you kiss a lot of people, too?”, he asked, genuinely curious. “You seemed to really know your way around things when you were grinding on me, so I would expect..”

 

Tom sucked in a shaky breath- great, another question he never wanted to answer. He looked down at the blanket then his feet. Anywhere but at Mark. “I-I’ve never kissed anyone,” he said very quiet, being a little shy about it.

 

Mark blushed then, and looked over at Tom even though he was looking away. “I like that”, he breathed. “It's been a very long time since I've met someone that hasn't had their first kiss.” Mark smiled lightly. “How could nobody have wanted to kiss you though? Y-you're very cute.”

 

Tom's eyes went to Mark's, slightly wide. How is it even a good thing he hasn't kissed anyone? Mark thought he was cute? _What?_ “N-no, I'm n-not cute,” he stammered. “It's l-lame,”

 

“You are though”, Mark argued, blushing a bit. He laughed a bit. “They're right you know, I did check you out.” Mark blushed.

 

Tom made a pft noise, and looked away then. He knew Mark was checking him out that day, yet, all four of the boys had eyed him while he was there. “You all were, basically,” he spoke out after some time. “Trying to spot something wrong with me so you can judge the fuck out of me- and you know, I finally did figure out where you got that nickname from. My hair isn't blonde!” He pushed fingers through his hair, messing it up badly, it falling in his face more. “It's brown,” he explained. “The sun shines off it weird usually but it's really bad in the summer when it bleaches it,”

 

“I know, your hair was really shiny when you were in the sun.” Mark smiled, and then bit his lip as he stretched his hand out to feel some of Tom's strands. “It's really soft. I can just imagine someone holding you here as they kiss you.” Mark said sweetly. His lips parted a bit too, because now Mark was thinking about kissing Tom in the sweetest way. Mark kissed most people he met, so Tom wouldn't stand out, but Tom would be different in the sense that Mark would end up being his first.

 

Tom bit his lip lightly when he watched Mark's hand go up to his hair to play with it. He felt a small blush stain his cheeks again- he wished he'd stop doing that. “O-oh,” he said quietly, kinda pushing up into Mark's touch, him playing with his hair felt nice. “R-really?”

 

“People like to be held in different ways, but your hair is so soft...I think it'd fit to hold you here.” Mark's lips only curved more and more into a smile and his face grew redder. “Could probably pull on it lightly.”

 

Tom felt a small smile curl onto his lips when Mark's hand continued to play with his hair. “Just playing with it feels nice,” he hummed.

 

“Yeah?”, Mark smiled brightly, figuring out something Tom liked. “Here.” Mark moved to sit in front of Tom, and put both his hands in his hair since Tom liked it. He hummed contently. This was what Mark did, this is what _they_ did, but this time, Mark didn't feel like it was about pleasure.

 

Tom closed his eyes, humming lightly when a second hand was added to playing with his hair. He pushed up against one hand and then the other, really liking that feeling. No one has ever done that before.

 

“I like hands on my face when I'm kissing someone, but in hair is a close second”, Mark breathed, knowing Tom had been witness to Blue making Mark melt with hands in his hair. “Some people like their neck or shoulders.” Mark hummed a little, and pulled on Tom's hair lightly, wondering if he'd like that.

 

Tom sucked in a sharper breath when Mark tugged his hair, not expecting that. He did listen to what he had to say, however. He nodded slightly at it. “I-I like this,” he breathed, chewing on his lip again.

 

Mark nodded, and then stayed quiet for a few seconds while he just played with Tom's hair, pulling lightly since he said he liked it. Mark looked a little nervous before speaking again. “You don't have to be embarrassed about not having a first kiss”, he said, voice quiet.

 

Tom's eyes opened, giving Mark a sad look. “I'm going into high school with no kissing experience and it's so lame,” he mumbled, his face heating up again from embarrassment. “Of course it bothers me. I'm gonna get with someone and they'll realize I can't be with them cause I'll be a bad kisser,” he pouted.

 

Mark smiled and pulled on his hair a little harder this time. “But you won't have to be embarrassed about it if there's nothing to be embarrassed about.” Mark wondered if Tom would understand where he was getting at.

 

Tom shot Mark a look this time, upset that Mark wasn't getting the point. “Nothing? What do you mean there's nothing to be embarrassed about?” he asked. “Of course there is, I just told you.”

 

Mark laughed at that. “I mean, there doesn't have to be”, Mark grinned and took his hands off Tom's head, looking at his face. He stayed still, allowing Tom to see him, too.

 

Tom blinked at Mark when his hands were removed from his hair. He stared at him nervously, trying to think of what that- oh.

 

_Oh he wants to kiss me…_

 

Tom felt his face turn red then, looking away with that stupid smile on his face. “I understand.”

 

“It's just us, so it doesn't have to be about-”, Mark stopped short, not sure he wanted to finish that. He wasn't sure if Tom totally understood how Mark and Blue maintained some bad boy ego, but Mark was not about to go there. He shook his head. “I mean, if you have some special fantasy about a first kiss, I won't give it to you, but I'm offering.” Mark giggled then. “I can guarantee you that'll it be an amazing first kiss.”

 

Tom gave Mark another nervous look. He didn't really have any special fantasies about being kissed, but he wasn't even sure if he was wanting it to be a guy. Sure, Mark was good looking and all, but he didn't even know _what_ he was. He figured it couldn't hurt any to kiss a guy though, maybe it'll help him figure it out then. “You guarantee it'll be amazing?,” Tom laughed at that.

 

“Yeah”, Mark laughed. “Any way you've ever dreamed about being kissed, I can do it for you.” Mark brightened.

 

Tom gave Mark a cute smile. “You're so full of yourself,” he breathed, but then his lip was between his teeth again, debating on if he should just let Mark do this or not.

 

“O-okay,” he mumbled, shifting how he was sitting, ready to move if he needed to. “H-how do we do t-this?” he asked nervously.

 

Mark blushed when Tom agreed. He was really excited, and actually nervous, because Tom was so sweet and innocent and actually cute, and Mark felt like he could break him. “I'll put my hands in your hair, because you like that”, Mark breathed for starters. “You can do whatever makes you comfortable. I don't care. Even pull away.” Mark smiled at himself, because he was being so gentle with Tom. “It's easier if the smaller person would sit in the taller’s lap, but it looks like we’re around the same size.” That meant Tom was drastically tall for someone his age.

 

Tom nodded, giggling at the last part. “Y-yeah, runs in the family I guess,” he said. “S-so, uh, do you want me sitting in your lap then? Like last night?” he shifted again, so he could go over to Mark easier.

 

Mark blinked at Tom, not aware he'd be so forward. “Oh, you remember that”, he laughed. “Sure, then.” Mark blushed even more when Tom actually did come over and sit in his lap, and Mark looked up at him. “Oh”, he said again. “Wow, you really are a cutie.”

 

Tom whined at that, and couldn't really look away from Mark, now that he was sitting snug in his lap. He was comfortable- which made him think about last night again. “You're comfy,” he breathed. “I said that last night- I just remembered,” He gave Mark a look after though, whining again. “Shut up!” He huffed, “Stop saying im cute, hmph.”

 

“Would you prefer if I called you fucking hot, like you called yourself the first day we met?”, Mark giggled, adjusting himself a little better to fit Tom. “Confidence, Tom, have some confidence.”

 

Tom let out a long sigh. “I don't really think that either,” he admitted. “I only said it to get back at you guys and to try and get out of that situation best I could,”

 

“Fine, I'll tell it to you then, you're fucking hot.” Mark giggled, and pulled Tom's face a little closer to his. “So listen. Relax, close your eyes, I'll make it quick for you. I'll keep it simple, nothing fancy. Not unless you ask for it.” Mark was being considerate first, wanting to keep Tom as comfortable as possible.

 

Tom gasped quietly when Mark pulled his face closer, and explained a few things to him. “O-okay,” he breathed, trying to relax himself as he closed his eyes and waited.

 

Mark sucked in a breath, nervous to do this, but he had to stay calm or it would affect the kiss. Seeing Tom's eyes closed, Mark smiled, calming himself and then went in, his soft lips pressing gently against Tom’s. His hands went straight to Tom's hair and pulled, because Mark knew Tom liked that.

 

Tom felt his heart beat heavily in his chest and it only increased its pace when he finally felt their lips touch. He hummed quietly, feeling Mark's hands tugging on his hair too. He pressed back into the kiss gently.

 

Mark didn't expect Tom to press back, but he was glad he did because it meant Tom liked it. Mark hummed too, and pulled on Tom's hair a little harder to accommodate the kiss. It was only for a few more seconds though because then Mark pulled away, slowly, separating their lips. He blushed and smiled. “You kissed back.”

 

Tom looked at Mark nervously then when he opened his eyes, feeling like what he did was wrong. “I-I thought that's what I was suppose to do- I-I wanted to..”

 

Mark nodded quickly, God yes, it was exactly what Tom should have done. “Y-yes, it was....it was exactly right”, Mark breathed, putting a hand on Tom's cheek and rubbing it lightly. “I was hoping you would. That was..that was really good.”

 

Tom blushed hot under Mark's touch, feeling better now that Mark gave him more praise. “I-I was really worried,” he breathed and couldn't help but steal a glance at Mark's lips again.

 

Mark laughed lightly again. “No, you did it perfectly.”. Mark ran his thumb over the corner of Tom’s lip, smiling sweetly. He felt his heart pick up and he used his thumb to keep Tom still while he leaned in for another kiss..

 

Tom felt a little weak underneath Mark's touch, and couldn't help but notice how close they had just gotten- he could feel the beat of Mark's heart thudding against his chest and pressed on his own racing one. He was distracted by his thoughts, and next he knew Mark's lips were pressed back against his. He let out a small noise, pushing back into it sweetly, putting a hand up to Mark's face, holding him close. He remembered that Mark said he liked this.

 

Mark smiled through the kiss when Tom did what he liked- it made Mark relax further against Tom because it meant he was listening, and that he cared enough to do something Mark said he liked. Mark returned the favour and took his thumb off Tom’s face, going back to his hair, before his hands fell to Tom’s back. He scooted him more comfortably into his lap and Mark bit down on Tom’s lip. He wanted to know if Tom might like that, too.

 

Tom melted into Mark more when he threaded his fingers through his hair, and scooted him closer. He held Mark's face with both hands now, enjoying the closeness. He let out a small breath when Mark bit his lip, not expecting it. _Was that something you do when you kiss?_

 

He liked how it felt though, the little bit of sting made it feel good. He made a noise, thumbs brushing Marks' face gently, letting him know that it felt nice and that he approved of it.

 

Mark let out his own breath, too, and he thought it was so cute how gentle Tom was being, and the way his thumbs rubbed against his face so sweetly made Mark melt. It, actually, made Mark feel comfortable, and safe, the kind he feels with Blue. Just like that.

 

But maybe more, because no one was ever really gentle with him, so to speak. Tom was.

 

Mark pulled away, this time dragging Tom’s bottom lip out with his teeth as he did before they separated. He looked down and rested his face in Tom’s chest though, thinking now. “O-oh.”

 

Tom hummed when Mark pulled away, taking his lip with him. That felt really good too, and the humming only gave proof of how he liked it. He couldn't believe how warm his face had gotten just from them kissing- but it caused a smile to creep its way on his lips. He didn't say anything, but was surprised when Mark pushed his face down against his chest. He slid his hands down to Mark's shoulders and his arms, just feeling his skin. He wanted to know if he was burning just as much as he was. "I-I liked that," he breathed, biting his lip which was now a little sore from Mark tugging on it.

 

Mark nodded slowly, a million thoughts running through his head. How could anyone have the same or even more effect on him than Blue? How could anyone actually be gentle with him? Mark didn’t understand these things, and he didn’t understand the way Tom was making him feel _okay._

 

“Yeah, me too”, Mark said, voice airy. He chewed on his lip, closing his eyes when Tom’s touch was on his skin. That felt _good,_ too. “I….I really liked that.”

 

"Y-you liked the kiss?" Tom asked, curious on what exactly Mark liked. They'd done a few things just now, not many, but enough to question what else Mark could be referencing. He let out a small sigh, and let his hands drift to Mark's back, rubbing it lightly, waiting for an answer. Mark hummed.

 

"Was it something e-else?" he wondered after a minute or so.

 

“W-what?”, Mark sat up a little more now, looking at Tom. His face was in a slight frown. “O-oh..” Mark sighed. “You were so gentle”. His voice was quiet, because part of Mark hoped Tom wouldn’t hear.

 

Tom gave Mark a small smile and a light shrug. He didn't really know what to say to that, because being gentle was sorta his nature, but not that the same time. "I-I wasn't sure what I was doing," he breathed out, honestly. "But, if anything, I wanted to be gentle with things because I don't wanna do anything wrong, plus, you are human, and you should be taken care of like that."

 

Mark stared off into the distance, thinking about what Tom said. Yeah, Mark wasn’t stupid, he knew his relationship with Blue was unhealthy but he was so wrapped around his finger that when Blue touched him, it was such a luxury that Mark couldn’t help but absolutely melt. Even though, Blue wouldn’t buy him flowers. Blue would only call him names because Mark fell apart. Blue touched Mark when there was no one else to touch. Blue rarely told others he had a boyfriend. Mark did all that, and more, and right now, it felt like Tom did all that and more in the span of seconds.

 

He gave Tom a small smile. “Thanks, I guess. That was nice.” Mark sighed though, despite his smile. Tom knew what was going on, he wasn’t stupid, either.

 

Tom could read people easily- he read Mark and his friends the first day he was at the skate park talking to them. He could see that same thing in his eyes when he looked at Mark, he could tell what he was thinking about.

 

He was thinking about what they talked about earlier, and Mark got all huffy with him about it.

 

"I-I'm sorry," Tom said quietly, trying to untangle himself from Mark. "You have a boyfriend, I know, you shouldn't be kissing on me. You're thinking about him, I can tell-"

 

Mark’s hands wrapped around Tom, wanting him to stay in his lap. “You don’t understand”, Mark breathed quickly, suddenly terrified that Tom’s touch was leaving him. “I can kiss anyone I want. It doesn’t matter. He’s doing the same right now- trust me..” Mark’s heart picked up again and watched Tom carefully. “I-It’s not that”, he repeated. It had nothing to do with the fact he supposedly had a boyfriend.

 

Tom made a noise when Mark held him tight against him, not wanting him to leave. He listened to what Mark had to say, making a face when he said Blue was doing the same right now.

 

"H-he's doing the same?" he asked, a little taken back by that. "S-shouldn't he only being doing that to y-you? W-why is he giving someone else attention that's suppose to be yours?"

 

“I-it’s complicated, okay?”, Mark said quickly, looking up at Tom. He slumped back down a few seconds later. “I don’t have to explain anything to you. You’ll hear all about it on Monday. Blue and I are the talk of the town, whoopie”, he said, the last part coming out sadly. Mark made a face. “C-can we go outside? I’ll take you home after if you really want.”

 

Tom looked away when Mark sorta snapped at him for asking that. He slowly untangled himself from Mark then, feeling like he needed to disappear. He wondered what it meant when Mark said he and Blue are the talk to the school.

 

Well, after he processed that, why wouldn't they be the talk? They thought they ruled this town. But he couldn't help but wonder what the talk would be about. It had to be the reason Mark was touchy with this subject. "Y-yeah, sure," he sighed quietly, a little sad that Mark was pushing him away so suddenly.

 

Mark did take Tom’s hand in his own though, because he certainly wanted his touch. It relaxed him a bit. Leading them outside, Mark sat them down on some bricks by the garden. “You hate cigarettes, right?”, he asked, making sure. “I’ll use this then.” Mark took the vape pen out of his pockets, using it right away. Mark’s body shook at the feeling, and he looked back at Tom when he blew out. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to snap at you. It’s just…” Mark played with the pen in his mouth. “I don’t know. I can’t really tell you, I guess. Image.” Mark smiled a bit.

 

Tom followed Mark shyly outside, sitting next to him when Mark sat down on some bricks. He nodded, telling Mark that he was right- he didn't like cigarettes at all. He watched him pull out a small pen, inhaling in, then blowing it back out before speaking. He figured that was an alternative for smoking the real thing. "Do you think I'll say something to someone?" Tom asked, dragging his foot along the grass lightly, staring down at it as he did. "I won't tell anyone about what just happened or anything you tell me. I mean, if your status is really that important to you.”

 

Mark laughed a bit. “It’ll only help if you tell everyone I kissed you, Tom.. It’ll even help you.” Mark inhaled more of his pen. “You’re misunderstanding the whole point.” That was the amusing part. Mark fought to tell Tom that it wasn’t that Mark cared about status, it’s that Blue did, and status determined their relationship, and Mark was stuck to that relationship like glue. “What you can’t tell people…” Mark thought about how to word it. “Listen. Earlier I said I wasn’t gonna be your friend, right?”, Mark knew that probably stung- it stung himself to say it. “You’re smart, Tom, I don’t have to tell you anything, but you’ll know, and then I won’t get in trouble.”

 

Tom kicked his feet some more, listening to Mark carefully. He didn't understand why Mark had to be tied down with this whole thing, he was too good for it. He didn't really want to tell the whole world that they kissed, either, but maybe it'll help them out. He didn't know what to do, he figured it was best to try and forget it, and whatever ends up happening, happens. He'll let Mark choose. Then again, Mark didn't even want to be Tom's friend, and that torn him a little on the inside.

 

He wondered if he screwed up by having someone who doesn't want anything to do with him, being his first kiss.

 

"O-okay," he said quietly, stopping the movement with his feet. "Do you wanna take me home now? Might as well get this ass kicking over with," he laughed, it being a little breathy.

 

“If you want”, Mark said, taking the pen out of his mouth. He smiled a little then, watching Tom. He put a hand on his leg. “I’ll tell you something though, but you can’t tell anyone.” Mark leaned in closer. “I want to tell you i’m sorry. I know i’m probably confusing the hell out of you, and you probably think i’m shady as fuck but..I don’t want to hurt you, I don’t mean to, and I really..I really wouldn’t mind you coming by everyday..” Mark smiled before leaning away, putting the pen back in his mouth as if nothing was ever said.

 

Tom glanced down at the hand on his leg, then up at Mark’s face, listening to him. He nodded slightly, saying, yeah, he was really confused. Mark was sending him so many mixed signals that he didn’t know what to really think. He didn’t know what Mark wanted from him.

 

He blinked at Mark when he said he wouldn’t mind Tom coming by everyday- _really_ confused now. Mark said he didn’t wanna be friends, yet he wanted to hang out? He made a face at him when Mark turned, and acted as if none of that last part was ever said.

 

“O-okay,” he sighed, thinking-

 

_What have I gotten myself into now?_


	6. Chapter Six

Tom was shocked that he was even able to get out of the house this morning, but he was thankful for it. He needed some time away again, and some time to think about what exactly has happened the past few days. They’ve been a wild ride for sure, and have definitely impacted him in a way.   
He skated out and around the block, exploring for a place for him to just sit around with his thoughts. The skate park was usually that- but since it was inhabited by Mark and his friends, he wouldn’t ever have the time to himself. He eventually found somewhere to go, if need be, sitting over by a tree, with his board kicked up under his feet. He rolled it back and forth, thinking about what Mark had said to him.

I don’t wanna be your friend by any means, but I wouldn’t mind seeing and hanging out with you everyday.

What the hell was that supposed to mean? It made Tom’s head hurt, making him groan, and leaning his head back against the tree. Mark was giving him so many mixed signals- but one thing was for sure, he didn’t want Blue knowing they were talking. Mark made that very clear, without necessarily being forward about it. 

Okay, so he wouldn’t act all buddy-buddy with Mark when they were around his friends. Since Mark said he’d love to spend time with him, maybe they could hang out and be friends secretly like around his house or something.

He didn’t want anything public- just because it would hurt his boyfriend's image.

Tom made a pft noise and rolled his eyes at that. How typical, he thought. Mark is so wrapped around Blue’s finger that he will do anything and everything he says to do or say. That must also be why they’re the talk of the school. 

Yet, that part was another mystery to Tom. He didn’t understand why they were the talk of the school. Maybe Blue is also top dog of the popular crowd there and everyone always talks about that person and whoever their friends with and or dating. 

That’s gotta be it, he thought, making a face at the sky. It’s the only thing.

Tom let out a small sigh, standing up from the tree and kicking his board up to his hands. He figured it was time to head over to the skate park, and see if Mark was their with his pack of friends. He jumped on his board, mentally preparing himself for the abuse. 

He hoped that Mark would communicate with him in some way though, to let him know they can talk at some point. Because, Tom had no car, no phone, no computer- he had no way of getting to Mark besides coming here and greeting him as if he wasn’t human. 

Mark was different than the rest, and he wanted to treat him like he was. He didn’t wanna treat him like his friends do. 

Tom’s additional thinking caused time to move by quickly, and he was rolling up to the park within seconds. He made a face and kicked up the board again, squeezing his way past the small tear in the fence. He immediately noticed the group of guys, chewing out another kid yet again, for even thinking about stepping foot on the park. 

“You know, it’s a public place for a reason,” Tom huffed out at Blue who was screaming at the kid. “I don’t see no ‘private property: owned by four dickbags’ sign, do you?” The familiar voice of Tom caused Blue to look up from today’s victim, and he curled his lips at him. Shorty and Chubby snickered amongst themselves, and Mark’s face softened at Tom’s for a split second- before he forced it to go into the same grin his friends had. Tom saw it though, but it disappeared before he could react.  
“No, actually, there is no sign, there doesn’t need to be. My presence is enough”, Blue said proudly. He let go of the kid, who quickly ran off. Tom was a lot more fun to mess with, anyway. Blue kind of liked the fire that Tom sparked in him. “Everyone knows the danger, Cheesey, except for your ass, apparently, who keeps crawling back. Come to see Butt Chin again, or something?”, he teased.

“Marky”, Short Stuff laughed, mocking the name Tom had called him the night of the party. 

Blue laughed, and nuzzled Mark. Mark pulled on Blue’s shirt, a habit he had because Blue never seemed close enough. Even in front of Tom, it was hard to resist. “You make him feel so good he’s back for more?”, Blue continued to tease. 

Tom blinked at that, puzzled by the question. He assumed that was from the party, cause nothing else really happened- except for the kiss, but Blue had no idea that had happened. “Doesn’t look like he wants me very badly,” he laughed a little and pointed to them, referencing how Mark was tugging on Blue’s shirt. 

Mark felt a lump in his throat- it wasn’t that, not really- Blue put his hand on Mark’s waist and he let out a breath, coming close to him. Blue felt so good and somehow safe and oh God, his hands were on his waist. Blue smiled. “All you have to do is ask, everyone knows that.” Mark hid his face in Blue- he smelled of cigarettes but it was so good to Mark- he didn’t want Tom to hear all this. Not now. 

Tom made a face at them, processing what Blue had told Mark. He watched how Mark reacted too- he didn’t know what to make of that. Everyone? Who’s everyone? If anyone would ask it should just be Mark. Nobody else. What was this guy's problem?

“Oookay then,” he breathed quietly. “I came here to skate and clear my head, but I couldn’t resist when you were scaring the shit out of that kid- so if you don’t mind me skating in your park, then I’ll be on my way-” he said, turning slightly, but making sure the last thing he said was full of attitude and sarcasm, like usual. 

Mark poked his head out from Blue a little, biting his lip when he saw Tom turn away. It hurt him, which was unusual, but it hurt because Tom probably didn’t even begin to suspect that Mark was as half bad as he was. He sighed, and Blue heard. “Hey, why don’t we tease him from a distance?”, he suggested, smiling down at Mark as if it would cheer him. “Make it obvious we’re talking shit.” Blue let go of Mark then, and Mark shivered in the new cold. They all began walking away up to the benches up on top, but Mark delayed, looking out towards Tom. He tried to shoot him a sad smile.

Tom glanced back as he walked over to the ramp, happening to catch Mark’s sad smile he shot towards him. He frowned, a little upset at how things were turning out. He really wanted some sort of sign that Mark wanted to talk to him, but he was getting nothing but sad looks. 

It’s not my fault you’re letting him treat you like some doll, like a puppet, Tom thought, sighing a little bit. You can escape that if you wanted to.

The problem was, Tom knew that Mark didn’t want to leave Blue. The way that he still clung to him around anyone and how he acted towards Tom when they talked about it yesterday, said it all. He didn’t need any more proof than that. 

Tom hopped on his board when he was close enough to the ramp, skating down inside it. He knew the boys were watching him from a distance, and he thought he’d piss them off by staying down in the pool ramp, making sure they couldn’t see him at all. 

Maybe they’d come over to him, and he can make fun of how stupid they are when they ask where he went. He laughed at the idea, and stopped the board, leaning against one of the walls on the ramp.  
The boys made their way up, and Mark sat in Blue’s lap on the bench, nuzzling against him, but was pushed away. Whining, he tugged his shirt again, but Blue chuckled and reached for the cigarettes in his pocket, watching Mark’s eyes grow wide. He tugged the shirt harder, and Blue placed the cigarette in his mouth, lighting it and putting his hands back on Mark’s waist as an award for his happy noises. Content, Mark blew out smoke as the other boys got their own out. 

Shorty was the first to look over the edge with his cigarette bobbing between his mouth, but he couldn't see Tom. “Where you at, Cheesey?”, he yelled out.

Tom looked all the way up, seeing Shorty on the edge of the ramp. He snickered quietly when he didn't even notice him at the bottom. 

“You sound like a idiot calling out for cheese”, Chubby said blandly, and Shorty turned around to make a face at him. Blue rolled his eyes.

“Come on”, Blue said, getting up, sliding Mark into the seat next to him. “Let's go find that dweeb.” Mark whined and Blue frowned before smiling a bit. “I know baby, I'll kiss you later, promise.” Mark couldn't help but let out his little happy giggly noises, feeling ecstatic because Blue's kisses were so sweetly sour on his lips...yet Mark remembered Tom well, too.

He was so gentle…

“Hey, Butt-Chin, come on!”, Blue called, and Mark nodded, running over, the four of them collectively searching for Tom. Mark was closest to Tom, but he didn't see him.

Tom held in his giggles he wanted to let out- this was so funny to him. He glanced up again, leaving his board next to him, holding it with his foot to keep it there. 

He climbed up the ramp quietly, then jumped out at them. “Booo!” He yelled, giggling, grabbing at someone's shoes to hopefully trip them backwards so then he could make fun of them. He wanted to scare them and be funny. 

That someone turned out to be Mark, Tom discovered. His own gasp and the fall were enough to burn the cigarette out and he groaned on the floor, but it quickly blushed when he saw Tom. “oh, Tommy.”

Tom laughed as he dropped back down into the ramp, grabbing Mark’s board. “You should have seen your fucking face!” He said loudly. He climbed out of the ramp with his board now and skated around the boys. “Who's making fun of who now?” 

The boys all watched Tom zip around on Mark's board, with Blue smirking. “Wow, look, we teased him so much he got a new board, wow.” They were totally aware the board was Mark's, but needed something to spit back at him.

Mark turned red when Tom wasn't sweet and instead made of fun of him, much like Blue. He grumbled noises and fumbled in his pockets, embarrassed and angry his cigarette had gone out. He reached for another one as if it would somehow wipe the embarrassment away. Mark made sure to blow the smoke in Tom's direction. “That's my board, asshole”, he spat.

Tom didn’t mean to make fun of Mark- he’d rather not make fun of him. Honestly, he didn’t know which boy he’d grab when he spooked the group, but his luck always turned bad, anyway. He skated around them a couple more times, feeling a bit jealous when Mark’s board felt smoother under his feet. His own board was cheap, so that explained a lot. He loved his old, cheap board though. He smirked at them, kicking the board up from under him and handing it back to Mark nicely. “Thanks for letting me borrow that,” he breathed, wondering what Mark had to say about him using his board for a few moments. 

“Yeah, bet you finally felt some actual pride riding something that cost more than $10”, Mark said, grabbing his board and getting back on it, riding up to his friends. He took another cigarette from Blue, since Tom cost him his other one. 

Blue smirked at Mark. “Another one already? Cheesy is gonna think you're trying to kill yourself. You’ve already got one in your mouth.”

Mark rolled his eyes. “Shut up, your’s are better.” Blue pulled on Mark then, bringing his lips to his own. Mark hummed.

Tom rolled his eyes at the cheap joke Mark made, and crossed his arms. He wished Mark didn’t get so upset about it- it’s not like every other kid got mad at them for picking on them or anything like that, ya know. 

He watched Mark accept a third cigarette, and nodded at Blue’s comment. “One closer to his death, I suppose,” he sighed sadly. “Careful. Wouldn’t want anyone to taste that later.”

Mark pulled away giggling at Tom’s comment, and Blue frowned in disapproval. Mark looked over at Tom, giving him a playful expression. Tom sure did always have something good to say. He loved it. “Mm, but cigarettes taste so good.” He looked over at Blue then and smiled down at him. “Right?”  
Blue grinned, and teased Mark’s lips. “Especially on you.” Mark hummed and welcomed Blue’s lips onto his again. Like cigarettes, he made him weak.

Tom let out a small huff when they continued to kiss. He didn’t wanna stick around if this was all they were gonna do today. However- he had nothing better to do besides stay here. He didn’t wanna go home, that was always the last place to go. 

“Well, I think I might leave if you guys keep doing this all day,” he breathed, jumping down into the ramp again to grab his board. “Or maybe you guys could leave, and let me have some peace and skate around,”

Blue stayed on Mark for a few more seconds before moving away from him again, Mark whining as he did. Blue rolled his eyes, though it was unclear if it was towards Tom or Mark. His words however, were definitely directed towards Tom. “Well shit, Cheese, you used to complain I never give him attention and now it’s too much?”

Tom made a face, and looked up from the bottom of the ramp. “You know damn well you’re just doing this in front of me cause I asked for it,” he grinned slightly. “It’s not the actual attention you know he needs and desires. You’re just playing with him right now,”

Mark sighed, and moved off of Blue. Blue gave Mark a shocked expression, because Mark never did that. Instead, he grabbed his board and slid down the ramp, joining Tom. It might have looked to his friends like he was sliding down to go beat the shit out of Tom again, but Mark skated right past him and started to ride his board over some of the smaller ramps. Blue stood up, blinking at Mark. “What, you’re just gonna leave me like that to go skate on some ramps?”

Mark shrugged. “I didn’t wanna hear Tom giving you more shit. There’s no reason to give any of us shit if we’re skating around.” 

“Tom?”

Mark froze, realizing Blue and his friends didn’t know Tom’s real name. And he had let it slip. He chewed his lip. “I meant Cheese Head”, he said quietly.

Tom’s eyes widened a bit when Mark skated down the ramp, but let out a breath when he went past him. That was new- he knew Mark wouldn’t do that to his friends, and he had the same confused expression they had. He glanced from the group to Mark when his name was mentioned, slightly nervous about this. He didn’t know what to think- it felt weird being called his name from them. 

He felt like he crossed some territory he shouldn’t have by staying at Mark’s yesterday, and now a sliver of their conversation was exposed to Mark’s friends. He didn’t really mind them knowing his name- he just got this bad vibe when they questioned Mark’s actions in such a way. 

Blue narrowed his eyes at Mark, and then they went to Tom, and then Blue was on his own board, riding down, coming up to Tom with Chubby and Shorty following. “Tom”, he said, seeing how it felt on his tongue. “Tom what?”

“I don’t know”, Mark said, truthfully. Blue nodded shortly at that, and then turned to Tom for answer.  
Tom sank down slightly when the three other boys joined him and Mark in the bottom of the ramp. He bit his lip slightly, looking between them again. He didn’t know if he should really answer that or not- he didn’t need anything weird happening. At least, weirder than this. 

“What’s it to you?” he asked, crossing his arms, hands grabbing at his shirt lightly. 

“Was just wondering if your last name was as stupid as your first name”, Blue snickered, getting Chubby and Shorty to laugh and high-five. Mark looked away shyly, not wanting Blue to notice he didn’t force himself to laugh this time. He skated away, hoping it would get him out of any confrontation.

Tom felt a slight heat burn against his face at that joke. How was his name stupid? It wasn’t stupid. He made a pft noise, and rolled his eyes. “At least I don’t have to use a nickname for myself,” he smirked at that. “That must prove that you’re the one with the stupid first name, not me,”  
“Well, my nickname is cool, your’s is dumb”, Blue shot back, before laughing and pointing at Chubby. “Just like his.”

“Hey!”, Chubby Chris laughed, getting on his board and skating up to Mark. “And what’s up with you? You’re acting off today. Upset Cheesey broke you and Blue up?”, he teased.

That did get Mark to smile a bit. “Yeah, actually, but Blue would have done it anyway.”

Blue made a pft noise. “Teasing, it’s called teasing.”

Tom made another noise. “Yeah, cause naming yourself after a color is soooo cool,” he mumbled, sarcastically, of course. “Exactly my point earlier- you weren’t even doing what he wanted- just teasing is all poor Marky ever gets from you,”

Blue made a fist in his hands, embarrassed by what Tom said. “It’s actually Blue Steel, a facial expression that might actually make your face look half decent”, Blue shot back angrily, upset over what he said about his relationship with Mark as well. “Butt-Chin, likes to be teased”, he said, gritting his teeth a little. 

Mark didn’t really want to say anything, but he knew he should back Blue somehow. He finally came over to them and tugged on Blue’s shirt again, smiling. “I-I do.”

Tom ignored Mark’s comment and his desperate grabs on Blue’s shirt. “What expression is that? Do you mean some hard expression because steel is hard?” he asked, making a face like that. “Jesus, it must look like you're constipated or something, and adding that color to the beginning means like you're holding your breath,” he couldn’t help but laugh at that one. It was kinda a bad joke, but at least it made him giggle and would piss Blue off. 

Mark laughed, and he felt guilty at first until of course, the other two boys laughed. Blue was the only one that didn’t, his face turning scarlet. “You’ve got such a fucking mouth on you”, he breathed, taking a step closer. “If you can’t respect me, why don’t you go to some other fucking park?”, Blue spat, done with Tom’s shit already.

Tom extended his arms and glanced around them. “I still don’t see a sign telling everyone that your hard-expression face is the owner of this park,” he grinned, still trying to push Blue’s patience. It was kinda fun- especially when his group turned against him and laughed at Tom’s jokes instead. “So, until I see one that says I need to respect you- don’t assume you’ll get it from me. Because you don’t deserve anything from me on that level,”

“My face doesn’t have a hard-expression!”, Blue yelled, pushing Mark away from him now. He lunged towards him, but Mark pulled him back. He looked at him sweetly.

“Aw, don’t beat him, he’s had enough of that”, he said, trying to keep Blue at bay by being clingy.   
Blue glared at Mark. “Hmph. He’s making fun of my face!”, he whined.

Mark’s face softened and he put a hand up to Blue’s. “You have a very nice face, Blue, you know that.”  
“Yeah, one that makes him look constipated all the time- hence his nickname,” Tom laughed again, continuing to remind them of that joke. “Of course- your nickname matches how stupid your face looks, so your real name must point out something else dumb about yourself. Tell me, what would that be?”

“No asshole, you don’t get to know my real name”, Blue spat, lunging towards him again only to be held by Mark still. He rolled his eyes. “Hey, come on, let me go! He’s being an ass!”

Mark giggled. This was sort of funny. “Mmm, no. I like holding you.”

Tom hummed in satisfaction when he heard how mad Blue was getting. He didn’t like when people got mad usually, but this guy deserved this- he was such an asshole to his friends, boyfriend and anyone else that came to this park. 

Blue let out a breath, before getting a quick idea. He turned around quickly, grabbing Mark’s shoulders and bringing their lips together again. It worked- Mark sighed happily and melted. 

He watched as Blue turned to kiss Mark so suddenly, that something about it didn’t seem right. In those three days he’s been with these guys Blue had never done that to Mark so willingly and so quickly. Something wasn’t right. 

Tom was proven right seconds later, when Blue turned back to him just as fast, lunging at him. Mark whined in disapproval, obviously realizing Blue had only kissed him to make him weak enough to break away from. Tom gasped and tried moving away, knowing that teasing him this much might have been too far. He didn’t need to go home with a black eye or a broken arm just to end up with a second one for letting some kid beat him. 

Tom was successful at dodging and Blue fell against the cold ground instead. Mark felt the impact of the fall right on his heart, because he didn’t like how he had used the kiss. Frowning, he came over to Blue, and helped him up. “Babe”, Mark said softly. “Stop, you look ridiculous. He’s just teasing you. Why don’t you tease him back like earlier? You don’t gotta go fighting everyone that offends you.” Mark laughed lightly.

Blue coughed and stood up with Mark’s help, looking at him. Mark was right, it was pathetic, but Blue didn’t like how Tom was an actual threat to his reputation. Blue knew Tom was the kind of guy that would overthrow him, if there were such a guy out there. “Yeah. Whatever.” He stood up, and looked back at Tom. “Next time, i’ll make sure you lose another shirt.”

Tom giggled at that, tugging on his shirt he was wearing right now slightly. “O-oh, didn’t think you found me attractive too, like Mark,” he smirked. “Just adds to the number of shirts I won’t have. Then I’d have to run around shirtless! Even better for youuu!”

“Shut up”, Blue said, already starting to skate away. “Just means you’ll fucking freeze to death.” He looked up at Chubby and Shorty, signaling with his hand. “Come on. Let’s go skate around town. Leave Cheesey here alone to practice his horrible skate skills.” Skating around town would help remind everyone of their presence. The boys laughed, and Blue waved for Mark when he realized he wasn’t coming. Mark motioned his hand, telling them to start heading off, and he’d catch up. Blue rolled his eyes. “Alright, whatever, say goodbye to your little crush”, he teased, walking off.

When they were gone, Mark looked at Tom suddenly. “Come by after six. It’s not that far from here. Well, you know where it’s at now. I should be home by then.” He gave a weak smile. “I mean, if you want.” Mark didn’t give Tom time to answer before hopping on his board and skating off rapidly to catch up with his group. Mark knew he probably added to Tom’s confusion, but it’s all he had time to say. He also knew he had to see him again alone, because there was just something about Tom that seemed to keep Mark asking for more. He liked Tom, he liked how Tom treated him differently. But that might change tomorrow, when school starts. Mark sighed, and tried not to think about it right now.

Tom blinked at Mark, listening to the info he finally wished he’d tell him. He was confused, but he didn’t mind being that. At least he got his answer from Mark- he wanted to see him later tonight. He remembered where Mark lived, taking notes on when he drove him home yesterday. He knew it was earlier in the day, so he’d have to find something else to occupy his mind until six.

He didn’t want to go home, but that was the only thing he could do to keep himself out of trouble. Ignoring his parent’s questioning as he entered the house, he walked quickly to his room, shutting the door and propping a box up against it, so no one could interrupt him. Grabbing his shitty guitar, Tom sat on the bed with a notebook and tried thinking of a new song to write. He had some already, but he didn’t have much inspiration to do it like he did at this moment. 

*~*

Mark and his friends spent the next few hours pushing each other off their boards and shouting back insults at one another. They smoked, of course, to Mark’s pleasure, but Blue didn’t kiss him again. Mark figured he used up all of today’s kisses anyway. Besides that, Mark was eager to see Tom, which sort of bothered him, because he knew he shouldn’t be looking forward to it as much as he was. But what could Mark do? Tom seemed to actually treat him good, treat him like the kind of person Mark really was. Maybe Tom knew more than he put out- maybe Tom knew that it was just a game. To all of them, and Mark was playing by different rules.

So when Mark got home, he sat on his living room couch picking at his bass, his eyes watching the front door for movement. 

Tom hummed along to the song he had created in the past few hours, as he rode his board past the skate park on the way to Mark’s house. His guitar was strapped on his back, the actual strap wrapping tight against his shoulder and chest. He figured since he saw Mark’s bass in his room, that maybe they could jam together if he really wanted to hang out. 

Moments later he arrived there, stepping off his board and kicking it up to his hand. Tom bit his lip lightly as he approached the front door and knocked on it gently, and shoved his hands in his pockets.   
Mark shot up off the couch, putting his bass to the side when he heard the knock at the door. He opened it, smiling wide when he saw Tom there in front of him. “T-Tom”, he breathed. “You came.”, he said, a little in disbelief that this guy was actually giving Mark a chance. Mark shook a bit. It was really surprising to him. “T-Thanks.”

Tom gave Mark a confused look, but smiled at him. “Yeah, of course,” he breathed, stepping inside the house. “You asked me to, so, what's up?” 

Mark smiled more sweetly. “W-Well, come in, of course.” he moved out of the way, allowing Tom inside. “I just felt like I didn't get to know you that well yesterday, and I wanted to apologize for uh…today, and I guess I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry for whatever you'll hear tomorrow and..” Mark sighed. He was rambling. There was just so much that he didn't know how to say no matter how bad he wanted to say it. “I missed you.”

Tom blinked at Mark, especially as he said the last thing. He missed him? Why was he apologizing for everything in advance? “Don't worry about it,” he said, moving out of the way so Mark could shut the door now. “I uh- I brought my guitar, thinking maybe we could play a little if you wanted to. You did tell me you wanted to hang out so I guess I just assumed that this is what that was…” 

“Yeah, yeah, that sounds great”, Mark smiled, his face lighting up. “I was just playing my bass.” He went back over to his cheap black bass, putting it around his neck. “I can play some covers of a lot of punk rock bands”, Mark started. “Like, Descendents stuff.”

Tom hummed happily at that, turning his guitar around so that it was now in his hands and around his chest the right way. “Hmm, something like this?” he asked, smirking before starting off one of their songs. 

Mark blinked at Tom, not expecting that. Damn, Tom was good. His lips curled into a smile. “Yeah, exactly, wow.” Mark breathed before he joined in, playing the bass part of the song Tom had chosen. It made Mark smile more, because he never played with another person before.

Tom joined Mark on the couch, enjoying how happy he looked. “I love this band,” he said happily, continuing to play along with Mark. “You're good at playing that.” 

Mark blushed. “What, really? I didn't think I was that good..” He smiled shyly then and had to look away from Tom. Tom seemed honest with Mark. He complimented him, on several things over the past days. It fascinated Mark because after everything they had done to Tom, Tom never lost heart. Mark was convinced that if Tom and Blue were ever alone, Tom could actually find something nice to say to him just because of his nature. 

It wasn't just that, either, it was that Tom's compliments and the way he seemed to act was so genuine. Blue complemented Mark on occasion, usually how good he tasted or how good Mark felt, but those were things Mark heard all the time anyway. Tom was so new and Tom was about the most real person Mark knew at this point.

Mark started thinking so hard he had to stop playing, staring out into his living room. he swallowed a little hard, and then blurted out a question. “Why don't you fucking hate me?”, he asked, looking in his direction now. “I'm pretty sure I've treated you like shit, without even trying to, and i'm confusing as shit to you, too.”

Tom was lost in playing the song, humming quietly. He didn’t even notice Mark stop his own strumming until he heard the loud question. He blinked at him, his movements halting. What was that suppose to mean? Mark didn’t really give Tom a reason to hate him. 

“Why would I hate you?” He asked, even more confused now. “You haven’t done anything to make me hate you. Just a few jokes and rude comments here and there, but you’ll get those in life regardless of who you meet.” 

“O-oh”, Mark breathed, staring at Tom for a bit. His gaze then went down to his shoes on the floor. He wanted to tell Tom that he didn’t mean half the stuff he tells anyone, he wanted to tell Tom what all of this meant. He wanted to be honest with Tom, because Tom was honest with him, and honesty was such a new concept to Mark- infact, everything about Tom was such a new concept to Mark. It made him feel special, and loved, but loved in a way different than Blue. He sighed and looked back at him. “Well, maybe that’ll change tomorrow at school”, he said sadly.

Tom tilted his head a little to the side and made a pft noise like did earlier at the skate park. “Why would that change things?” he asked quietly, sticking the pick in the strings. “I mean, you mentioned people talking about you, but it can’t be any worse than anything I’ve seen or heard,”

Mark smiled shyly, and refused to look at Tom now. “Maybe”, he said, shuffling his feet around. “But, I just want you to know, whatever you hear, after spending a few hours with you..” He smiled lightly again. “It was never like that, not anymore, anyway. Okay?”

Tom made a face at that, but nodded. “Yeah, okay,” he agreed, wanting to know what Mark meant by this. He tried shaking away his thoughts by picking the strings again on his guitar. “Know any other songs by them? Or perhaps another band that you know?” he wondered, smiling.

Mark smiled. “Well, do you listen to The Cure?”, he asked, poking Tom's shoulder a bit. His mood had completely changed now that Tom mentioned music again and didn't press what he had spoken about previously. “Their album, you know, Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me is pretty good..”

Tom’s face lit up at the mention of one of his favorite bands. “Hell yeah, I like them a lot,” he said happily, taking his pick and playing a little something from them. “I like that album, yeah,” he breathed, humming to what he was playing. 

Mark blushed lightly when Tom played one of The Cure songs. He thought maybe he could hint at wanting to kiss Tom again. It was sudden, but suddenly Mark craved it, because Tom was so fucking gentle and sweet and Mark felt like Tom cared and it ignited something so new in him- he had to have it. “Yeah, it is a good album, hmm?”, he said, strumming his bass a bit because he did know the song Tom was playing. “Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me….heh”, Mark giggled. He knew he sounded dumb but something told him Tom might like that.

Tom continued strumming away on his guitar, but laughed at what Mark was saying. “Yeah, I think it’s great,” he said, smiling at Mark. He was excited that he found someone with some similar interests, but that excitement died down quickly when he remembered Mark saying he didn’t want to be his friend. Maybe he could change his mind though - there was always that maybe happening. 

Mark frowned when he noticed the light slightly fade from Tom's face. He stopped playing and came closer, slightly concerned now. Which was new, at least for him to show it. Mark was always too proud to show any real care, but Tom's honesty made him honest. Because he wasn't as bad as a kid as he put himself off to be. He looked at him closely. “What's wrong?”

Tom frowned, his eyes traveling down to the floor now. “N-nothing, I was just thinking,” he breathed, and looked back up at Mark, giving him a smile that wasn’t completely real. “That’s all. Part of it was, I forgot how to play that one part of the song, so it kinda bummed me out,”

Mark made a sad face, his head tilting to the side a bit. “I wish I could show you, but I don't know shit about guitar”, he smiled, laughing a little. He shifted in his seat again, trying to inch closer to Tom. He let out a heavy breath. Tom wasn't going to tell him, he knew that much, but it would just mean Tom couldn't evade another thing in a row. Mark looked at Tom seriously. “Do you really think Blue and I kissing earlier was gross?”

Tom shrugged at the question Mark asked him. “I don’t really care what you guys do,” he mumbled, looking away again. “I mean, he should be giving you kisses, you guys are dating… he shouldn’t just use you for them like he did earlier- obviously he knows the effect it has on you.”

Mark snorted quietly when Tom said he shouldn’t be using him. That was the whole idea- but at the same time, even considering that reality among them gnawed at his heart. He shook it off, moving on to speak more. “Yeah. he isn’t so gentle...like you were.” Mark blushed.

Tom felt a blush tinting his cheeks when Mark said he was gentle. He only was because he didn’t know what he was doing, and he had no reason to be rough with him. It was his first kiss- of course it wasn’t going to be anything like Mark and Blue were doing. “O-of course.” 

Mark smiled, feeling his heart pick up because he really, really wanted to kiss Tom. Tom made him feel really good about himself in a way. He sighed, and gave Tom a playful smile, leaning closer into him. “Hey, Tom, what’s the name of that Cure album we like?”

“Mm, which one?” Tom asked, a bit confused. They never really talked about which one they both liked- well, they both like the one but he was thinking maybe Mark meant the one from the song he played a few minutes ago. “The one we talked about or the one I played the song from?”

Mark giggled. Geez, Tom really was innocent. It was really sort of, cute, it was enough to make Mark blush. Their noses were almost touching when Mark laughed. “We only talked about one, Tom, what was it called?”

Tom smiled brightly then, laughing too. “Oh, oh, the kiss me kiss me one,” he said happily, shifting a little on the couch, and adjusting how he was holding his guitar in his lap. It had got a little uncomfortable since they had gotten closer over the past few minutes. 

Mark poked Tom’s nose with his lips, giggling at how happy Tom sounded. “Yeah, that’s all you needed to say.” He closed the full gap between them, brushing his lips against Tom’s.

Tom’s eyes widened slightly, not really expecting Mark to do this. Was that why Mark wanted him to say the album so badly? Was that some kind of consent for him? He was really confused now- wondering why Mark was kissing him again. He knew Mark wanted no part of him really, but then again he invited him over to his house again today. 

He sighed slightly, pushing back into it like he did the previous day. He knew Mark liked it from how many times he had mentioned it. 

Mark made a happy noise when Tom pressed back, and he moved his hands up into Tom’s hair, pulling Tom against him more so he could kiss him rougher. Mark’s hands in his hair caused him to make cute noises and smile into the kiss. Mark was relieved Tom didn’t pull away, because Tom’s lips were so soft and full of sweetness. They were everything Blue lacked. 

Tom pushed his guitar off his lap gently, making sure it got propped up against the couch, and moved a little closer to Mark, who got all warm and fuzzy as a result. Tom got a little braver and pressed back the way Mark was, and Mark brought Tom into his lap, biting down on his lip.  
Tom made another noise, feeling a bit more comfortable. He whined quietly, feeling his lip and hair being tugged at. That felt good, together. He brushed a hand against Mark’s face, holding it gently, and the other hand pulling at Mark’s shirt. That got Mark to moan, and he pulled away from Tom with huff. He kept the distance close though, their noses still barely touching. “Wait”, he breathed, his hands still tangling and playing with Tom’s hair. “If I’m your first kiss...you probably haven’t done much of anything, have you?”, Mark wondered.

Tom felt his face heat up, feeling slightly embarrassed that Mark was asking this question, knowing the answer was yes. “Y-yeah,” he breathed, biting his lip, looking up at Mark shyly.

“So then..” Mark placed his face in Tom’s neck, giving him small little kisses there- nothing special. Mark felt like he was on fire, burning like the way Blue sometimes made him feel. But that was a delicacy. He spoke in-between kisses. “How did you move on me so perfectly when you were drunk?”  
Tom gasped lightly, having Mark leave kisses on his neck now. He tilted his head back a little, biting on his lip a little harder. That felt really good. “Just c-cause I’ve never done that stuff before, doesn’t mean I-I don’t know about it,” he huffed out, grabbing on Mark’s shirt more, stretching it out.

“I wouldn’t have guessed”, Mark confessed, because the way Tom moved on him at the party didn’t have any errors, let alone hesitation. Then again, Tom was drunk. That’s all Mark wanted to know though, and the new knowledge made Tom feel all the more fragile. He didn’t want Tom in the middle of his friends, he didn’t want Tom near Blue, he didn’t want Tom to go to school tomorrow and shatter everything he thought he knew. Mark sighed, and moved his lips around Tom’s neck, trying to find out where Tom liked it best. 

Tom’s breath caught in his throat when Mark found that certain spot on his neck, that caused his whole body to jerk and tense slightly. “A-ah, o-oh wow there,” he breathed, tugging more on Mark’s shirt. He felt bad suddenly, letting go, and moving his hands up to Mark’s hair instead, and tugging on that lightly.. “That was really n-nice,” 

Mark giggled a little, because Tom falling apart like this was really cute. “Okay”, Mark breathed, kissing against the spot harder, making sure it was a little wet. Mark didn’t want to bite down though, because Tom wasn’t his, and he knew with school starting tomorrow it would only make everyone think he was, thrusting Tom into a new world before he knew where he was going. So Mark stuck to just kissing the spot where Tom liked, letting him enjoy the feeling for a few precious seconds. Obviously, it was new to him.

Tom whined slightly louder each time Mark pressed kisses to that spot on his neck, his whole body squirming too. He bit down on his lip, trying to keep anymore noises in, his face flushing bright red now. He shouldn’t be making all these noises, especially since he figured it meant nothing much to Mark anyway. He was only boosting his ego probably.

“W-why are you d-doing this?” He asked, breaths coming out in small little huffs. 

Mark was blushing too, at all the little noises and squirms Tom was allowing himself to do. Him asking why though, made Mark stop short and he sighed, moving away. He looked at Tom, smiling shyly because he only made his embarrassing face visible to him this way. “I-I..”, Mark started, not really having an answer. He had a boyfriend, Blue should be here with him, not Tom. Mark frowned. “It’s different when i’m with you, Tom..” Mark said quietly. It was, after all, the truth. Mark didn’t have to prove himself to Tom, he didn’t have to make Tom beg, he didn’t necessarily desire to hear Tom moaning uncontrollably, and most of all, Tom didn’t challenge Mark, didn’t want to make Mark moan his name uncontrollably. Tom just wanted a friend, and one that lasted longer than a week. Maybe it was just the fact Mark was sort of barred from actually having a friend, because everyone knew his story. But Tom didn’t. And although Tom’s ignorance of the story meant that Mark couldn’t show every piece of who he really was to him right away, it meant he could be more of himself than the Mark everyone else wanted to see. 

And kissing him was a whole different experience, because it wasn’t about pleasure, it was just the pure blissfulness of it. Tom didn’t kiss him because it made Mark weak for him, because he wanted Mark to whine. Tom was gentle, he was gentle- no one was ever gentle with Mark.

Tom smiled slightly at Mark when he finally looked at him. He shifted a little against him, making himself more comfortable. “W-what makes me so different?” he asked, curious on what Mark had to say about that. “It doesn’t make any sense… I’m sure you’ve kissed a lot of people and stuff, and I mean you have someone to do that everyday with, so this cannot be anything special to you…”

“I’ve told you, you’re gentle..”, Mark said quietly, and he fought the urge to look away. “I-I feel like, somehow, you care about me, and you don’t just want..” Mark looked away then. He felt he was giving too much away.

Tom watched Mark carefully, seeing how his expression changed and how he looked away. “You gave me a reason to care about you,” he said quietly, placing a hand on Mark’s face, brushing his thumb over his cheek. “Well, several reasons- you chose not to murder me when I made you so mad, you uh, well I guess saved me a few times ‘cause your boyfriend wanted to bash my head too,” he laughed at that. “And, you gave me my first kiss. Of course that’s gonna be special.” 

Mark leaned into Tom's touch, and then he sucked in a breath when he referred to Blue as his boyfriend. Mark noticed Tom did that when they talked about him, but it was so..so new to hear. His sad face turned into a sarcastic one. “You're the only one that calls him that, you know”, he breathed, admitting it.

Tom gave Mark a funny look, wondering what he meant by that. “Nobody else refers to him as that?” he asked, rubbing his thumb on Mark's cheek still. “I mean, you guys are obvious, really.” 

“You'll understand tomorrow”, Mark sighed. “I swear, God..” Mark sighed sadly, shaking his head. He felt like tonight was their last day of their friendship because of what tomorrow might bring. “Tommy-”, Mark blushed, not really meaning to call him that but continuing anyway. “Can you just kiss me again?”, he asked, pressing against his thumb. 

Tom blushed slightly at the new nickname- better than the old one- and nodded, smiling. “Y-yeah, of course, Marky,” he breathed, using his hand on Mark's face to pull him in closer, pressing their lips together in the gentle manner they started with earlier.

It was then that Mark realized he actually thought of Tom as a friend. Someone he could talk to. Hearing “Marky” sober made Mark squeak a little, which only got worse when their lips were back together gently. Mark whined, melting into Tom. His hands rested on Tom's waist instead this time though, drawing him closer. Mark, by habit, had the strong urge to move Tom in his lap, but he fought against it, because he didn't need that from Tom right now. He smiled through the kiss, focusing on that instead.

Tom giggled into the kiss cutely when he heard Mark's little whines. They sounded super cute, and that thought alone made his face all hot. He pushed into Mark's touch only lightly, and placed both hands on his face instead, pulling him closer, daring to kiss him a bit harder. 

Mark moaned then, because he was so used to doing so and Tom was kissing him pretty hard. Despite that, he was still gentle, gentle in the sense he held Mark's face with his hands, gentle in the sense it was obvious Tom put Mark's comfort levels ahead of his own. Mark pulled on Tom's shirt now, his lips pushing back into Tom's.

Tom dared trying what Mark did earlier, taking Mark's lips between his teeth, tugging lightly on it. He felt a smile on his lips as he did, and also as he wiggled his hips slightly under Mark's touch.   
Mark moaned again when Tom tugged on his lips, it quickly turning into a breathy gasp when he felt Tom's hips wiggling lightly against his own. Mark tugged on Tom's shirt harder, much like he frequently did with Blue, because he couldn't pull away easily with Tom tugging on his lips. 

Tom pulled a little more on Mark's lips before letting go, smiling shyly up at him. “You l-like that so I-I figured I could…” he said quietly, face flushed. 

Mark’s heart was beating unbelievingly fast, as he stared at Tom with wide eyes. “I-I know”, Mark said, voice breathy. For the first time, Mark doubted doing something like this with someone. Tom had never, and Tom knew he had a boyfriend- though that never mattered much anyway, more so to Blue, it made Mark feel like somehow, he was putting Tom in a position where he shouldn’t be. Then again, if Tom was okay with it, it made little difference in Mark’s life. But what if Tom found out tomorrow that Mark did that with other people anyway, and Tom didn’t feel special anymore? Tom was special, and in a funny ironic twist, he was special because Mark didn’t want to do these things with Tom without a very good reason, such as if they were dating themselves. Tom deserved so much better, Tom deserved to be protected. Mark barely knew this boy yet he felt like he was the only one that truly did. Mark knew, of course he wanted to feel Tom that way, he was just, just afraid, that Tom wouldn’t believe it was special when the truth of it all was that Tom could probably give Mark the best experience he’d ever have. 

Tom chewed on his own lip, watching Mark’s face. He watched how focused he was, knowing he was thinking hard about something. Maybe he’d done the wrong thing- Mark was taken, after all. Tom had no right to be kissing and being wrapped all up in someone who wasn’t his and wasn’t going to be his. “W-what are you thinking about?” he breathed out, pulling his hands away, keeping them to himself now. 

Mark whined when Tom pulled his hands away, bringing them back to his face. He liked them there. He needed them there. It had begun to occur to Mark that he felt more welcome here with Tom than he did at the skate park, though he quickly brushed the thought away. He wasn't ready to admit anything like that yet. He did blush at Tom though. “I was just thinking about if you'd really want to move on me”, Mark breathed. “I mean, it's not that you did something wrong-”, Mark spoke quickly, Tom had to know, because that was something Tom would take the wrong way. “It was just unexpected. But I liked it. I won't lie.” Mark smiled.

Tom blushed when Mark moved his hands back to his face, smiling at the action. He really liked that. He couldn't help rubbing his cheeks lightly, feeling their faces heat up at what Mark mentioned. “Y-you want me to do that?” he asked curiously. 

Mark whined, his face completely heated like Tom's. “I-If you're comfortable”, he breathed, but Mark put his hands to Tom's waist anyway. 

Tom took Mark's hands on his hips as a sign that he wanted him to. He let out a shaky breath quietly, pulling Mark closer again, their lips touching gently. Maybe he could just move around a little bit- and not anything super rough or fast like he apparently did the other night. 

Mark hummed when their lips touched again, pushing back into Tom softly. His thumbs rubbed Tom's sides, telling him he was okay. Mark was nervous too, because he was the one being gentle now. He was never gentle. Tom was the first time Mark would be caring, soft, and even respectful- and Mark liked that. His hands tightened just slightly on Tom then, enough so that Mark could pull him forward, and push him back again.

Tom hummed when Mark moved him slightly, enjoying them being close like this. He tried figuring out what it was actually like to move against someone like he did the other night. He was drunk then, and moved so good- but he wasn't sure how he had done it. It's not like he had any experience before the party. He pushed a little harder in the kiss and wiggled his hips to test it. 

Mark made a small noise when Tom's hips wiggled. Of course it wasn't going to feel as good as the party, not yet anyway, because Tom was starting off slow, but Mark had to let Tom know somehow that he had the right idea. Mark pulled away from the kiss, breathing heavily when he did to look up at Tom. “Like this”, Mark breathed, wanting to show him. He pulled him forward, bringing him as close as he could. “When you get here, you push your hips down and roll them..” Mark pushed Tom back slowly then. “And the roll will actually help you to move back out.” He smiled then, kissing Tom's cheek. “Wiggling your hips is nice a bonus, though”, he smirked, telling Tom he liked that.

“O-oh,” Tom breathed, letting Mark guide him. He felt a little embarrassed that he didn't know how but, after tonight he'll know. He bit his lip and scooted forward, doing exactly what Mark told him to do, humming at the feeling of it. 

“Y-Yeah”, Mark breathed, feeling Tom roll against him. Next time Tom did it, Mark pushed his hips up, feeling the contact and making another noise at it. “Ooh.” Mark's hands twitched a little on Tom's sides. “L-like that, Tommy.”

Tom made a noise too, cooing at the praise Mark was giving him. His hands slipped down to Mark's shirt this time again, pulling on it to keep him close. He continued moving his hips lightly, but pressed them down harder once to try.

The harsher press made Mark moan, his body shaking a little bit. He decided then to pull Tom against him a little faster, gasping at it. He didn't want to guide Tom the whole way, but he wanted Tom to go faster. “F-feels good”, he breathed, letting Tom tug his shirt.

“Ahuh,” Tom breathed out, agreeing on how good it felt. He whined, pressing his face in against Mark’s neck, his body scooting all the way so their bodies were flushed against each other- fitting just like puzzle pieces. 

Mark knew it must feel especially good to Tom, because it was all so new for him. He moved his hands away from Tom’s waist and up into his hair where he liked it, giving Tom full control over the whole thing. He tugged on his hair lightly. “Keep going, T-Tommy.”

Tom's face heated up more, feeling the little tugs against his hair. He didn't know how much he could keep doing- his movements weren't on point like they were earlier. He wanted Mark to feel good too; he tried being cute and pressing little kisses against Mark's neck like Mark had done for him the previous day. 

Mark hummed at Tom’s kisses, pushing up against them. They were so sweet and slow, unlike the rough and wet kisses Mark was so used to giving and receiving. He smiled, and pulled on Tom’s hair a little harder to try and boost his confidence. “It’s okay”, he breathed. “Don’t be nervous.” Mark wasn’t sure if Tom was, but he decided to be safe and assume so anyway. He’d have complete reason to be nervous, anyway. “I-I like it, T-Tom.”

Tom let out a small sigh- he felt like this wasn't anything Mark liked, and thought about earlier, and how he really didn't wanna be his friend. He whined again, pulling his face away. He looked up at Mark, face flushed, like it has been whenever they're with each other. "D-do you even want me doing this?" 

Mark frowned when Tom asked him that. “O-of course”, he said honestly, tangling his fingers in Tom’s hair. He bit his lip, and his eyes got a little watery all of a sudden, though Mark worked to fight it. “T-trust me, T-Tom, I really want it from y-you”, he whispered.

Tom wasn't sure why Mark got so quiet all of a sudden- he noticed his expression showed something else too. "W-why?" he asked, still moving his hips lightly to try and control what was actually happening. "Y-you shouldn't. I shouldn't be.."

“It doesn’t matter if it should be that way or not, really”, Mark said, practically begging now. “It wouldn’t make a difference Tom- you’re not-” Mark looked away. “God, you’re not the only boy i’ve done this with but you are the only boy who’s ever made me feel cared for during it, okay?”, Mark finally admitted, slightly frustrated. “If it wasn’t you, it’d be someone else, but it’d be rough and it’d be over.”

Tom blinked at Mark, finally realizing that that was probably what he was talking about- the stuff he'd hear tomorrow. Or, at least, somethings similar. "R-really?" he asked quietly. "Shouldn't you be doing this with someone you care about or someone that cares for you?" he asked, feeling a little hypocritical because he- he cared for Mark, but he just met him a few days ago, so he didn't know how much of that was actually there. 

Mark knew Tom was right, but he wasn’t ready to spill his reasoning yet. He didn’t want to talk all about Blue and the effect he had on him quite yet. Not with someone he barely knew, anyway. It was a sensitive subject for Mark. “Gotta do what you gotta do I guess”, he sighed instead, looking at Tom sadly. At least that would show Tom he did have a heart, but it was in all the wrong places.

Tom made a face at that, stopping his movements. "You don't gotta do anything you don't wanna do, Mark," he breathed, moving his hands up to his face so he couldn't turn away. "Only do what you wanna do. Not what anyone else says to do- no matter what,"

Mark felt his body relax against Tom’s hands, and his eyes looked up at him. Tom was so different. No one else had ever- or would ever tell him something like that. Mark knew everyone had him so wrapped around their fingers but he never really thought about doing anything about it because that was just the way it had always been. That was the way to Blue’s heart. That was life for Mark. But Tom did tell Mark things like this, things a real friend would say, things that someone who truly cared for you would say. Things Mark told himself but shoved away, wishing to hear it from Blue, but of course Blue never even thought of it. He smiled shyly at Tom. Maybe there was a reason Tom moved away from his old home to here,, and Mark’s heart skipped a beat as he realized he was getting ahead of himself. But maybe. After all, Tom was different, Mark just hoped he’d stay like this tomorrow after he learned more about his past and his friends and maybe his relationship with Blue. If Tom wanted to learn anything about the latter, he’d have to ask around anyway, because Mark wasn’t about to open up about that. He blinked, getting off topic in his thoughts, blushing when his eyes opened back up to reveal Tom. “You know”, he started, “You’ve made me act very very different”, he said, a little light. “I should be snapping at you, telling you, ‘this is what I wanna fucking do’, but i’m not. I should have been treating you like I do at the park this whole time.”

"Exactly," Tom said, brushing thumbs against Mark's cheeks. "You're choosing to act different because you're acting upon your actual feelings, and nobody else is around to tell you how to act," he smiled then, thinking maybe the things Mark had said yesterday were because he supposedly had to act like that out of instinct. Maybe he really did wanna be his friend. 

Mark giggled lightly, humming when Tom brushed his thumbs against him. “You’re too smart for me”, he joked, eyes brightening. “Could probably tell me more about myself than I know, I guess.” Mark brought his hands down to Tom’s shoulders, rubbing him there. “You uh...did you really plan on stopping?”, he asked, face turning red.

Tom felt his face heat up at the question too, looking away slightly. "I'll continue if you actually care about me," he mumbled. "Cause if I'm just another toy you wanna use in your little game, I do wanna stop." That pang he usually feels in his chest hit him again, feeling like an ass for even saying something like that. He knew the reason why Mark was doing it, but he wanted to make sure he wasn't the another character added to their play. 

Mark nodded slowly, understanding. He didn’t really know how to answer that. He could promise Tom he wouldn’t mess around with anyone else, but he couldn’t promise anything about Blue. “Well”, Mark breathed, looking behind Tom. “I guess you wouldn’t want to just because I have a boyfriend, in that case. I mean..” Mark gave Tom a sort of sarcastically hopeful smile. “I like to think so, anyway.” He felt guilty for letting the last part come out of his mouth, but it was too late now. He was usually extremely defensive about him and Blue.

Tom looked back up at Mark, but let his hands drop to his shirt, playing with it a little bit. "Does he not think so?" he wondered. "That'd be really shitty. Being with someone and pretending it's not actually a thing or something..." 

“Stop”, Mark said quietly, looking down then. He didn’t want to yell at Tom, so he controlled himself there, but he didn’t want Tom to keep talking because Tom seemed to always be right, especially with things Mark didn’t want to admit. “I don’t care. Forget I said that.” Mark took his hands off Tom and laid them flat beside him. “You can get off me if you want. I don’t want to make you feel like you’re being a ‘home-wrecker’ or i’m cheating or some shit like that”, he breathed, because Tom had morals apparently, like Mark, except Tom was more publicly vocal about his. 

Tom knew he had hit a touchy subject when Mark's whole mood changed. He knew that being on the topic was a bit uneasy, but he wanted to know. Mark kept spilling certain things about it here and there- yet it was wrong for Tom to talk about it. He chewed on his lip, mumbling an "O-okay," before sliding off of Mark's lap. He didn't wanna push anything else on him til he asked or anything. Tom knew Mark didn't care much about him, and he felt stupid for even asking about that too. He made a face and sunk back into the couch. 

Mark sighed sadly when Tom actually did get off, looking at him and frowning. “Oh.” He really wanted Tom to stay close to him, because it made Mark feel warm and loved, and now he was just cold. Mark stood up though, knowing Tom didn’t want to because he had a boyfriend. He couldn’t push himself to even fake a smile though because part of him was really hoping Tom would at least stay close. “Well uh..” Mark trailed off. “Uh..if it..makes you feel like less of a toy I..” Mark looked away. He had to say it because he felt like he was losing Tom with every slipping second. “I think you’re probably the better friend I could have.”

Tom had looked away and picked up his guitar off the floor before Mark even began talking, getting ready to maybe play something to help improve their moods now. He couldn't help but feel slightly warm inside when Mark mentioned that he was the better friend he could have. "So, now you wanna be my friend?" he asked quietly, not really sure if Mark was being serious or not. 

Mark did smile that time, nodding slowly. “Y-yeah”, he said quietly, clearing his throat. “I mean-I always did.” Mark blushed. “I really liked spending time with you that first day. I just said I couldn’t because..” Mark stopped to think about it. He wasn’t sure if it was because he never intended Tom to have such an effect on him, or if it was because he felt secure in his friend group (but did he ever?), or if there was something else. Mark decided against finishing though, certain Tom would provide a sufficient enough reason for him.

Tom made a pft noise as he began tuning his guitar again like he did earlier today. Since it fell on the floor when they were tangled in each other, it got all out of whack. "That's not what you told me," he said sadly. He was sad- sad that Mark let other people control his life. Sad that Mark couldn't be his friend because some other fucking douche canoe told him he couldn't be. “I’m sorry. I hope you do.”

Mark smiled, and moved closer to Tom, hoping he’d be okay. “I do”, he said. “I want to be your friend, Tommy, really I..I want to spend time with you”, Mark’s voice sounded oddly desperate. He was, in a sense, because Tom was the only person that even gave Mark the kind of chance that he was looking for. “Y-you treat me differently than everyone else, Tommy”, he said quietly, looking down at the floor. “I-I felt cared for in your arms.”

Tom felt a blush creep on his cheeks again. God, he hated how Mark can easily make him do that. "Because you're suppose to care about your friends," he said quietly. "Yet, making fun of of them is also a good thing. But, you know, I can tell your friends don't care for you or treat you good when you aren't out in public. It's the same damn stuff, all the time. You need the best of both of those things," he looked away for a second. "I-I understand you, actually. You might not think so but I do- it's hard living like someone cares but yet, that's over powered with someone who doesn't want you to really exist."

Mark didn’t really grasp what Tom was trying to say, but he did know that Tom was trying to say he cared. He sighed happily. “I think you care”, Mark breathed. “I think you care more than anyone else.” Mark played with his own thumbs. “That’s why I liked kissing you. That’s why i wanted to do it again.” Mark blushed.

"Yeah, but-" Tom stopped, sighing, and messed with his guitar again. "I just hope there's a difference is all," he looked up at Mark now, smiling slightly. "Do you wanna play some more?" 

Mark smiled back, nodding. “There is, and sure”, he said, picking his bass back up. “So are you in a band?”, he asked, plucking at his instrument. “Because you sure know what you’re doing.”

Tom shook his head, but his eyes lit up at the mention of a band. "No, but I really want to be," he said happily. "I've been playing for awhile- I'm not very good, but I know a thing or two,"

Mark smiled. “That's all you need.” Mark looked down though, at his bass, picking at it. He honestly didn't really feel like playing it much anymore. Tom got his thoughts running through his head and now Mark was seriously thinking about everything he already knew was true but never wanted to pay attention to. He just wanted to forget, kiss Tom again and forget and bask in the freedom that was the boy with the cheesey hair.

Tom shrugged, but nodded at what Mark said. “Yeah, I guess so,” he picked a few strings on his instrument like Mark did. He noticed that he wasn’t very interested by the way he did this. “You don’t seem like you wanna play,” he laughed a little. “Anything else in mind?”

Mark smiled quickly, it disappearing in less than a second. “Yeah, i’ve got a lot on my mind now”, he said, looking straight at Tom. “There’s a lot I need to figure out, I guess.” He laughed at himself. “Shit.”

Tom made a face at Mark, smiling in it though. “It's my fault, I suppose,” he sighed a little. “Did you want me to leave then so you can spend some time alone with the thoughts or do you wanna talk them through with me?”

Mark smiled at Tom sweetly when he offered to talk. That was nice, even though he didn’t necessarily want to talk it out with Tom. “If you want me to be honest Tom, I still wanna kiss and finish what started earlier”, he said, laughing a little. He shook his head though. “I don’t know. Just felt. Safer. I guess. Yeah..” Mark looked down and bit his lip, because he was realizing how much he was truly missing with Blue.

Tom set his guitar down, making sure it was in a spot where they wouldn't knock it over. He couldn't afford another one if this one broke. “You want that because it felt safe?” he asked, curiously. “You don't feel safe otherwise?”

“No, I-I do, it’s just..” Mark looked away. “I don’t know Tom. But, I don’t think you were kissing me or moving on me just because it felt good.” He began to wonder if he crossed a line in terms of what he should and shouldn’t have said, but it was too late now. 

Tom shrugged at that, not knowing what to say, really. He had never done this stuff before, and now it was brought to him within the past 24 hours. “I-I don't know what to tell you. I mean, I could say the same thing- you weren't trying to get me to kiss you cause it felt good,” 

“All i’m saying is, when people kiss me, it’s for a quick fuck”, Mark said softly, chewing on his lip. “And you weren’t. I mean, fuck, Tom, do you know how long it’s been-” Mark stopped, realizing, for him, there had never been a time.

Tom turned his head slightly, wondering that meant. “How long it's been for what?” he asked. He was pressing a bunch of questions at Mark today. “I'm sorry that's all the kisses lead to.” 

“Nothing”, Mark sighed out heavily, looking up at the ceiling. “Nothing at all. Long time of nothing”, he mumbled the ending to himself and then crossed his arms. “On another note, I know you hate home, and I mean, you’re welcome to come over anytime”, he said. “Or everyday.”

Tom watched Mark, taking in his expressions and actions while he talked. He couldn't help but blush over that, and smiling a little to himself. He shook the smile away though, feeling bad. “You want me to?”

Mark nodded his head excitedly. “Really, I do”, he said sweetly. “If you decide you don’t want to beat the shit out of me tomorrow, anyway”, he added, laughing a little.

Tom was very curious on why Mark was so negative about tomorrow. He knew he wouldn't treat Mark any different- but he wanted to know if this rumor or whatever that floats around the school was something very critical, or if it was something small that Mark had just been over dramatic about. “I'm sure it's nothing,” he smiled, trying to reassure him.

“That’s it though, Tom”, Mark smiled, staring at him. “It’s nothing, it’s only ever been nothing.”


	7. Chapter Seven

_"Yeah, I was with Mark like two weeks ago but I haven’t heard of him with anyone since.”_

        _“Do you know if Mark’s available this week? I haven’t heard anything..”_

         _“I’d say Mark’s been too busy fucking around with his boyfriend to explain his absence, but we all know that can’t be the reason.”_

        Since Tom entered the building, all he's heard was Mark this, and Blue that and everyone - literally _everyone_ \- was talking about spending a night and wondering if they'd be around at all this week. He chewed his lip lightly as he made his way to his locker to jam some stuff in it. He didn't' wanna break his back carrying all the shit they give you as a freshman. Even there, he heard the people next to him smiling and giggling over the couple.

        Was this the kinda shit Mark was talking about? Did he like give himself to people just to get them off? Then again, that was probably in his benefit, too.

        Tom shook his head, thinking about the past couple days and how Mark acted with him. Why hadn't he tried anything with him while he was drunk? Was that why he wanted Tom to grind on him some more yesterday, so it could lead to that point?

        He let out a huff, dropping the final book at the bottom of his locker, keeping the notebook and the one book he did need for his class in his backpack. He was gonna need something to drown out this talk of them- but then again, he was oh so curious on what other details they had to spill about the two boys.

        Mark was nervous the entire day because he heard all the chatter about himself, and he knew Tom most certainly did, too. He walked close to Blue for most of the day, because being close to him somehow kept people and requests away from him. Well, that made sense considering Blue was the big boss of all this, and if he was with Mark, it meant he had someone- and it meant Mark was being submissive to him and off limits. Blue did however, eventually tell Mark to go away and that he’d see him later that afternoon, because it became apparent to him that his boyfriend was the reason no one was hitting on him. How ironic.

        So Mark sadly went to his next class, and in there several people prodded him but he just kept saying, ‘i’m not in the mood to flirt’, and knew that once Blue caught wind of it, he’d be in some deep water with him. Mark didn’t really want anyone else though, it tore his heart because he was always chasing Blue- but now he felt like, Tom was becoming more special than he initially wanted him to be. It chewed at Mark to even think that he could feel the same kind of pull with someone else, but Tom, Tom in a way, took care of him, and Mark craved it, and Mark felt safe and harmonious with Tom, and it was something Mark never knew he needed so bad.

        The thoughts of Tom kept Mark occupied throughout his entire class, as he started to come to terms with the idea that he might actually like Tom, which stung at his heart because of Blue, but then it went away because Mark didn’t think Blue would be all that concerned, at least he didn’t act like it. Tom was the complete opposite of Blue, but Mark felt like he could chase him, instead. By doing the complete opposite of what he does for Blue- stay loyal.

        Tom rubbed his eyes as he exited his first class of the day, yawning after. He didn't sleep well last night, not ready to come back to school, and his never ending thoughts keeping him awake. He thought a lot about today, and what it'd be like going somewhere new with new people. But, the main thing he thought about- was the rumors that'd be floating around about Mark and Blue.

        He groaned at the thought, just as he heard more and more things about them and that Mark was declining everything today. He went to his locker, laying his head against it, closing his eyes. He was so tired- and felt his whole body become heavy when he leaned against it.

        Jen had been standing around near Tom's locker, seeing him fall into it. She giggled when she heard the thunk noise of his head tapping against the metal. Her friend shoved her forward slightly, signalling to go talk to him. The girl smirked at her, seeing the evident blush on her face.

        Her friends always knew when she found someone really attractive.

        She frowned at them, before turning to walk a few steps towards Tom. "Having a rough first day too, so far?" she asked him, smiling. Tom jolted up from the locker when he heard a voice, blinking his eyes so they'd focus on the girl in front of him.

         _Is she talking to me?_

        _"Me?"_ Tom asked, feeling the heat bloom across his cheeks.

        Jen giggled again, nodding at him. "Yeah, you," she said, taking a step closer, reaching up to touch Tom's face lightly. "Wake up, sleepy head," she tapped his face lightly.

        Tom shifted a little, knowing that this girl could feel how hot his face was, and how much warmer it got under her touch. _Why was she touching him?_ "O-oh, yeah, I was up all last night. You know, nerves and such," he babbled, not really paying much attention to what he was saying.

        "I see," Jen hummed, feeling so pulled in by just hearing Tom talk to her. "So, does this cutie have a name, or do I just need to call you that from now on?"

        Tom bit his lip, leaning against the lockers slightly as her hand went down to his chest and played with his shirt. This girl really didn't understand the meaning of personal space. "You'd be giving me the wrong name then- I'm not cute, you must need glasses," he laughed a little at that. Why did everything think he was cute? "My name is Tom."

        Jen hummed even louder, happily at how Tom spoke. _"Tom,"_ she breathed. "I like how that sounds rolling off my tongue, huh."

        Mark didn’t really want to go to the skate park today, and infact he was thinking about ditching to spend more time with Tom. He shuffled through the hallway, ignoring everyone who called him and praying he wouldn’t run into Blue, when he saw a girl speaking with Tom flirtatiously. Mark turned _red._

        He had only ever gotten jealous when someone flirted with Blue in front of him, but it usually didn’t stick around for long because it was never long for Blue to flirt back anyway, making Mark feel defeated. He wasn’t about to lose someone else, too.

        Mark didn’t really think his next action through. He didn’t think about the message it would send everyone and the fact that now he was going to make Tom famous around school. He didn’t consider that when he walked up to Tom and pulled him close to him, narrowing his eyes at Jen. “New friend?”, he asked Tom, a hint of jealously clear in his voice. Already, passersby stared.

        Tom opened his mouth to say something, but all that came out was a squeak. He looked to the side, seeing Mark standing there, that face that was all too familiar to him the past few days, and the past few years to the school.

        "Y-yeah, guess so," He smiled at Mark shyly.

        Jen gave Mark the same look back, her grip tightening on Tom's shirt, almost to the point where it stretched. Her friends have been with Mark and Blue before, but she stayed away from them. She didn't wanna be part of the people who said that they messed around with _those guys._

        She smiled brightly at Tom when he called her a friend. "Aw, Tommy, how sweet," she said to him, her other hand on his shirt now too.

        Mark felt his teeth grit when she called him Tommy. _Yeah, well, i’m ‘Marky’, so, I win._ He saw her hands tighten on Tom’s shirt. Looking at her, Mark noticed she was one of the few people who never asked for a small fling, relationship, flirt- from him or Blue, which meant she probably didn’t like him, which was going to make it harder to get Tom back on his side. Mark wanted to say he was _his_ Tommy- except he wasn’t, and he couldn’t say it anyway because it would come out the wrong way just because of the reputation he had. Passersby were already glancing over and raising their eyebrows as they walked by, knowing something was up, and Mark felt bad because he knew now everyone was going to talk about him and Tom and make up some rumour that involved Jen now, too.

        Oh well, it was too late to go back, so Mark kept going forward. “Well, _Tommy,_ I do think it’s time _we_ -”, he glared at Jen again- “got going.” Mark knew very well how bad that sounded, but he was so ignited from seeing someone flirt with Tom. Holy shit, maybe he did like him, maybe Tom was something else to Mark.

        Tom blinked up at Mark, curious on why he was acting so aggressive with him. He understood why Jen was, but Mark had _specifically_ told him that he wasn't going to act like he liked him or wanted to be his friend at school. "W-where do we need to go?" he asked, chewing his lip so more, just because he didn't know if he said the right thing or not. Maybe the reasons why Mark was trying to pull him away from this girl was because he knew she was trouble or something. Tom didn't know, he was new here.

        Jen noticed how much Tom bit his lip, and she couldn't stop thinking about how he should be doing that to her lip. She imagined it would feel wonderful. Her eyes darted back to Mark when he mentioned leaving. “Where the hell do you need to go and drag this boy along with you?" She snapped at him, still hanging onto Tom. "Don't you have somewhere to be with some other person to fuck up? I got here first, anyway."

        “No, actually, I don’t”, Mark snapped back, angry she would even ask something like that. It kind of hurt, too. Well, no, it always hurt. “I don’t know if you’ve heard, but I haven’t been with anyone for a while, thanks.” He attempted to pull Tom to his side again.

        "Cool, maybe you should stop forever, it'd be like giving us all a favor, fuck boy" Jen huffed, keeping one hand on Tom now. She wasn't going to let Mark win this fight- not this time. She saw Tom first, and she'd be _damned_ if she let Mark snatch him up and ruin this innocent bean.

        Tom sank down just a little, too overwhelmed by people fighting for him. He was flattered by it, but at the same time it kinda freaked him out. Nobody had _ever_ been this interested in him to fight over him. Well, sure, his parents fought over him, but that was under different terms and conditions then this was.

        “I’m not gonna fuck him, calm down!”, Mark yelled suddenly, overwhelmed by the way Jen was acting towards him. Mark let out a breath afterwards though, and saw some wide-eyed faces of people nearby. Sure, everyone knew Mark didn’t actually go _that_ far with anyone, but it was very, very unlike Mark to publicly deny anything like that Even though anyone that had been with Mark knew it never got that far, they often liked to go to school the next day and make up stories Mark never bothered to straighten up because it only benefited his reputation, even if deep down everyone knew they were just rumours.

        Realizing his mistake, realizing what he had shattered, and realizing Blue would not be happy with the outcomes, Mark shut up and took his hands off Tom. He didn’t know how to defend himself in this situation, and everything in him wanted to run and get away from all the eyes on him.

        Tom knew Mark said the wrong thing when everyone stopped, stared and let their jaws hit the floor. His own eyes widened at this, concerned by what had been going around and the reputation Mark had talked about and such. This couldn't be good- especially when Blue finds out- that much Tom knew.

        He grabbed Jen's hand on his shirt softly, unrolling her fingers from it. "It was lovely talking with you," he said, smiling at her. "We'll have to talk again. I need to get to my next class anyway," he mumbled, grabbing Mark's shirt then and dragging him off away from all the people watching them.

        Jen smiled sweetly when Tom invited her to talk again, but huffed when he dragged Mark off. She’d have to talk to Tom about that-since they’d be talking again- and make sure Mark didn’t try a single thing.

        Mark closed his eyes when Tom dragged him off, because he expected people to start whispering amongst themselves immediately. They did, and Mark didn’t want to see it. Great, now he dragged Tom into all this. Sighing, he tried to retain his balance despite Tom’s pull. “I-I don’t have a next class”, he mumbled, trying to find an escape.

        "I don't really care," Tom huffed, finding the nearest bathroom and shoving Mark inside the room. He gave him a sad look, feeling bad for what just happened. He couldn't help but feel responsible for this- he's ruining Mark's life, and he did it in only a few seconds. Tom looked away after that, shyly. "I'm sorry," he breathed quietly, locking the door slowly. He didn't need anyone coming in and seeing them together. "I didn't know that was gonna happen- I-I feel really guilty-"

        “Shut up”, Mark breathed, cutting Tom off. “Trust me, you're not ruining anything.” Mark meant that honestly, even if it did sound forced. His heart picked up at the thought of Tom changing his entire life, because maybe, fuck maybe he had a way out, and a way into a real relationship. He looked at Tom and smiled, because he felt fine with the whole thing. “Really, Tom, trust me..it's fine.”

        The thought of losing Blue now, that scared Mark, but at the same time Tom had allowed Mark to do a lot of thinking and despite how wrapped around Blue he was, Mark knew, God he fucking knew it was the most unhealthy of relationships.

        Tom sniffed quietly, looking up at Mark with the same shy expression. “H-how is any of it good?” he asked. “You told me not to communicate with you at school, and I ruined that-” he paused though, remembering Mark was the one to approach him. “W-why did you stop her from talking to me? She seemed kinda nice- a little touchy though,”

    Mark shook his head quickly. “Tom, Tom please stop”, he said softly, holding his hands. “Listen to me. You don't know me, okay? You don't know me. The person you met...wasn't me. I'm not Butt Chin, I'm just...Mark.” He let out a breath before looking back at Tom with watery eyes. “Tom you've made me do a lot of thinking these past few days...and there's some things I need to figure out, but you need to know, I've treated you different, because you've been completely real and honest and different with me and..” Mark was overwhelmed by all the emotion, feeling a tear fall. Why was he crying? “God it's been so long since I've felt like I could be myself and little by little you've let me do just that..”

     Tom frowned, instantly feeling worse when he saw Mark shedding tears now. He held Mark's hands tighter, rubbing over the top with his thumbs. “You should only be you, Mark,” he said back. “Nobody else.”

      Mark sniffed, liking Tom's hands over his own. “You don't understand”, he breathed. “I owe you the biggest explanation and I need to explain some things to myself and just figure things out and..” Mark wiped one of his tears away. “Just, thanks, okay, thanks for having such an effect on me that the girl earlier made me fucking jealous.”

      Tom blinked at Mark then. _He was jealous that he was talking to a girl?_ He didn't understand why he would be. He figured he should just let Mark explain things and think over this stuff a bit more till everything was clear. “Right,” Tom nodded. “thinking through everything is good. It's a good start…” he sighed lightly.

          Mark nodded at that. “I know I've confused you and thrown you in a thousand other directions and I'm sorry but Tom just..just please know that you're my friend.” Mark smiled. That felt good to say. He needed to tell more people that, especially people like Tom. “You're my friend, and spending time with you makes me feel good.” Mark felt warm and fuzzy talking to Tom like this, and he didn't feel a pressure like he did with his other friends.

        Tom couldn’t help change his expression then, smiling slightly at Mark. He was Mark’s friend. He wanted to be his friend. Hearing this made him really happy. “Yeah, you have,” He sighed, agreeing that Mark had confused him and tossed him around in his thoughts. “I like spending time with you too.”

        Mark blushed and nodded happily. “Good, because I think I'll be seeing a lot more of you.” Mark looked up at the ceiling, knowing they were alone and locked in the bathroom. He let out a breath, staying quiet for a few seconds before his eyes went back to Tom. “Look, you should probably be getting to your next class. I'll head home and think things through..there's a lot I have to figure out.” Mark sighed again. “I won't be skating today. I don’t..I don't really want to deal with the kind of shit Blue is gonna wanna talk about to me today. I'd rather let him cool off for tomorrow.”

        Tom made a face, looking away from Mark. "Okay," he sighed. "I'll go see if he gives me any shit then. I need to get out of my house anyway after school. I don't wanna be there- any reason to leave I take it, really.”

       Mark nodded. He knew that much about Tom. “Okay. You can come over whenever. I promise I'll..I'll answer any questions you have this time. Or. Maybe most of them. But honestly. No more lies or..half-lies”, Mark smiled weakly, going for the door.

        ***~***

        Two more classes had went by since Tom and Mark's conversation in the bathroom. He was thinking about all the things Mark could possibly tell him, to connect the pieces he had from people at school, and from what he's already set out on the table for him when they talked previously. He was still very tired- yawning as he went to his locker again. He'd talked to Jen a few more times throughout the day; she was still as clingy as ever. He didn't understand how she could be up in his space without knowing him for more than a day. He opened up his locker, and shoving the two books he had in his bag in there. _Only one more class today,_ he thought. He grabbed that book and shoved it in his bag after that.

        Blue saw Tom across the hall, shoving books into his locker. “Cheese Head!”, he yelled, and, a little angry, walked up to him quickly. People cleared the hallway for Blue to pass by and go up to Tom. Everyone already knew by now there was definitely something going on between Mark, Tom, and Blue. “Where the fuck is Mark?”, he yelled, demanding an answer.

        Tom jumped, nearly hitting his head on the shelf in his locker when he heard Blue scream at him from the opposite end of the hallway. He knew and Mark knew this would circle back to his friend group today, within a matter of hours. He turned, zipping his bag up quickly with the new book inside and slinging it over his back. He let out a small sigh, trying to act like Blue's anger didn't bother him. "He told me he was going home," he said, honestly. "That's all I know."

        “How the hell doesn't he have a class this next period?”, Blue asked, huffing afterwards. “Whatever.” He glared back at Tom. “You've got a lot of shit to explain to me, because I know you've been talking to my fucking boyfriend.” On Blue's tongue, that felt weird rolling off, but it showed a sense of possessiveness.

        Tom made a pft noise and glared at Blue. "I don't have to fucking explain anything to you," he huffed, his face blooming with pink at Blue calling Mark his boyfriend. Seriously? "Boyfriend, my ass," he scoffed. "Mark craves for you to say that to him and to other people, but you don't even give him the time of day; you just throw him away and act like he's your fucking slave to do your dirty work or something. Not much of a boyfriend, I'd say."

        “Shut the fuck up, Tom, I'm tired of your shit”, Blue growled, aware people were watching and Blue felt threatened even though everyone already knew what Tom was saying to be true. “Mark hasn't been doing his own ‘dirty work’, ‘cause he's been with you, so tell me, are you just so fucking good in bed he can't stay away from you or what?”, Blue snapped.

        “Obviously I must be doing something right if he keeps coming back to me instead of your sorry ass," Tom snapped back at him, crossing his arms in annoyance. He was really tired of Blue yelling at him for things that weren't even under his control. It wasn't his fault Mark seemed to like him better. "Mark hasn't done anything with me, we've just talked to each other- you know, like normal people do? Without the name calling and or rude teasing. It's not my fault he likes me better than you."

        Blue laughed. “Just talk? Yeah, I'll admit Mark's been acting weird but my God, Mark doesn't _just talk_ when he takes a boy home.” Blue rolled his eyes. “Whatever. I need to talk to him. Guess I'll just wait for later.” Blue grinned and held up a new pack of cigarettes. “Bought him a present.” Blue knew Mark wouldn't resist a box of cigarettes, ever, and it would calm him enough to talk to him honestly.

        Tom made a face at that, and bravely knocked them out of Blue's hands and onto the ground. "He doesn't need those," he said bitterly. If Mark was gonna be his friend, then he was going to try and get him off those damn things. He cared about him, he didn't need him cutting off years of his life with each one of those things. "And you won't see him later, he said he had stuff to do at home and wasn't gonna go skating after school."

        Blue scoffed when Tom knocked the cigarettes out of his hand, picking the box up off the ground and quickly shoving them back into his pocket. “Stuff to do? Like what?” Blue growled and pushed Tom back. “This is all your fucking fault Tom, stay the fuck away from Mark”, he growled more, slamming his hands into Tom's locker. Angrily, he stomped away, slamming anyone's open locker shut as he went.

        Tom gasped when his back hit the lockers rather roughly, groaning after, as he tried not to move much from it yet. He jumped slightly from Blue banging his hands against his locker, before storming away. "I'll fucking talk to him if I wanna! You can't tell me what to do," he shouted at Blue, having to be louder over the slamming of the other lockers.

        Blue glared back at Tom, a smirk on his face. “You wanna talk to him?”, he asked, walking back slyly. “Fine. Then why don't I give you guys something to talk about?” Blue approached Tom, a wicked smile on his face, and then smacked the side of his face with a quick punch before walking away again, soundly this time..

        Tom stumbled back into the lockers, gasping as he hit them hard from the force of the punch Blue just smacked him with. He'd felt this before, but this pain felt so much worse- considering Blue was much stronger than him by a long shot. Yet, he still couldn't believe that he'd done it. His hair had fallen over his eyes, and he made sure it stayed that way to hide any sort of expression and/or tears that automatically swelled in his eyes at the hit.

        He knew he had to pretend like this didn't affect him in anyway, although, the punch was to show Tom that he'd gone a little too far in his words to Blue. "Y-yeah, well," he breathed heavily, his adrenaline kicking in from the pain. "It also gives him one more reason to like me better than you.”

      “He's so head over heels for me, I don't have a single fucking reason to worry about it”, Blue spat back, continuing to leave Tom alone with the bruise forming on his face. Blue knew that Mark would know exactly where Tom got that from, and he thought it'd be enough to make sure Mark knew his playtime with Tom was over.

          **~*~**

      Mark had thought about all his feelings upon getting home, but most of all, he blurred them out with a good book. Mark loved Shakespeare, it was his secret, and he sat on his couch, back to his open front door, so the natural lighting would brighten the script to be read. Mark marveled in the language of Shakespeare- it was nerdy and smart but absolutely amazing, all reasons Mark kept this to himself. It'd shatter everything he stood for, or everything he wanted people to think he stood for, anyway.

      Tom checked his face out before going to class earlier, seeing a bruise forming under his eye and blooming across his cheek. Great, just what he needed. He was sure it had gotten worse after he left school, walking over to Mark's house. He walked up to it, seeing the front door was open, letting in the sun. He chewed his lip nervously, peeking in before knocking and seeing Mark sitting on the couch, reading. Tom could see the back cover from there, and the one thing that caught his eye was _Shakespeare._

       “You're willingly reading that?” Tom asked, wondering what compelled a kid like Mark the even pick up a book such as that.

        Mark gasped when he heard a voice, especially Tom's voice, and he flipped the book out of his hand so that it fell behind the couch abruptly. “W-what? N-no, of course n-not”, Mark huffed, avoiding eye contact with Tom. Shit, Tom was onto him. “I-I don't even know who the fuck William Shakespeare is.” Mark's voice was quiet though, clearly a lie.

      Tom blinked at how sudden Mark acted and how the book was just _gone._ He laughed a little, leaning against the doorframe. “It's alright, I just asked you a question. I don’t care what you read. No shame in being an English nerd.”

     “I-I'm not an English nerd”, Mark said quickly, still avoiding any glances at Tom. “I don’t know any of his plays. Or his characters. Fuck, who's Macbeth anyway?”, Mark half-laughed, his voice growing weak. After a few seconds, Mark eventually slumped, head falling forward and he curled in embarrassment. “D-Don’t tell anyone, Tommy..”

      “Don't worry, your love for Shakespeare is safe with me,” Tom said, his laughter dying down now. “You gonna invite me in? Or do I get to stand on your doorstep all night?”

       Mark smiled a little. He for some reason undoubtedly believed Tom when he said he wouldn't tell anyone. “Oh, you could have come in a while ago”, he said, finally looking over at him. Mark blushed when he saw that cheese hair again, but then noticed the bruise burning into Tom's cheek. Alarmed, Mark stood up, coming over to him. “Tom, what happened?”, he asked.

      Tom blinked at Mark, surprised he asked what happened. Blue said he would have already figured it out. Guess not. “Your boyfriend didn't appreciate the extra attention you've been giving me.”

       Mark felt his face twist. Blue did this? Of course. Mark sort of knew that was going to be the answer before hand, but actually hearing it, sent Mark into a disbelief. He was even offended that Blue would do such a thing. “Fuck”, Mark said, pulling Tom in. “He think this is gonna scare me? Maybe..” Mark pushed Tom into the wall then though, just gently. He didn't say anything else though, letting his lips do the talking as he kissed over the bruise, hoping to make them feel better. “Tommy…”

      Tom gasped lightly like he did earlier when he was shoved into the lockers. This time, it was more gentle and against a wall that wasn't jagged or bent weird. He closed his eyes when he felt Mark's lips against his skin, the bruise hurting, but feeling slightly better under the healing touch. “W-what?”

       “You tell him I just made you feel better”, Mark breathed, guiding his lips around Tom's face. “I might be so fucking into him, but God, he doesn't get to hurt you..”, Mark said sadly, his hands tugging on Tom's shirt in the same nervous fashion he often did with Blue. Mark's body shook because it felt wrong to talk to Tom like this, talk about Blue like this, but Mark had less care.

      Tom hummed quietly, always loving the tingling feeling that Mark's kisses left on his skin. “He apparently thinks it does,” he mumbled. “He told me to stay away from you, never talk to you again-”

      “Mm I don't care if he said that. He says a lot of shit”, Mark breathed, pulling himself away from Tom’s face now. He looked at him, smiling lightly. Even with the bruise. Tom still looked really beautiful. Mark loved the golden, cheesey hair Tom gained in the sun. He giggled a little, feeling so free. It always felt so free with Tom. Mark felt like he really liked him. He thought back to Blue, back to how he ditched him today for Tom. Mark’s body shook slightly at the thought, the free feeling disappearing, the bruises on Tom’s face becoming chains that rattled Mark’s memory. He looked down, all the light on his face that blossomed just seconds ago leaving his skin..

        Of course Mark missed Blue, he was so insanely stuck to him that Mark put up with all his shit, but Mark never had a reason to leave, either. He never felt a true purpose.

 

        His life was simple- do everything, to get Blue to give him more attention besides the physical contact- but even that was still a deprivation for Mark. He wasn’t a bad kid, not really, no, because all of the “bad” things he did, he did because he had nothing better to do, there was nothing better than Blue and his face and his lips and his voice and his glowing undeniable perfection- but Tom was all of that, all of that with gentleness, care, and value. The things Mark was craving all along. Even from the very beginning- the very first day he met Tom- Tom had tried to save him. Save him, in a situation Mark didn’t even know he needed saving from.

 

        All the thinking had caused Mark to start shedding a tear without realizing it. He wanted to tell Tom, ‘I really like you’, but all his being still nagged at him to save those words for Blue, everything still nagged at him to go to _him_ because for years, Mark’s brain had been wired that way, but things were changing and they were changing fast and it was all so overwhelming, so overwhelming that Mark never said those words to Tom in the moment when his tear-stained face stared back at Tom’s slightly sweaty face.

        Tom watched as Mark, them staring at each other intently. He noticed how cheerful and bright Mark had been, and frowned when all that light seemed to fade at an alarming rate. What was he thinking? It couldn't have been anything good to make all that glow get overcasted by a shadow.

        "M-mark," He said, nervously, moving hands up to Mark's face. He hoped it'd bring some sort of happiness back into his eyes for the moment. "W-what were you thinking about? You told me you'd be honest with m-me, p-please, I wanna know- I wanna h-help."

        Mark’s eyes shifted to look straight at Tom again, a smile curving onto his face when he felt Tom’s hands on him. “I’m just thinking about everything that happened today”, he breathed, lying (somewhat) even though he promised he’d be honest. He promised he’d be honest about who he was, anyway, not every single thing that crossed his mind. He decided to try changing the subject, even if he was flattered Tom wanted to help. He was, in a way, already helping. “Don’t you have other things you want to ask me, anyway?”, he pressed, knowing Tom was probably disappointed in him more than anything.

        Tom looked away for a moment, upset, knowing that Mark wasn't gonna really tell him what he was thinking. What was the point of asking then? He felt dumb for even trying to ask that. "I-I don't know what to ask you Mark," he breathed, glancing back to Mark. "You just told me you'd tell me a shit ton of stuff when I came by later, and it's later," he chewed his lip lightly. "I'm not gonna make you tell me anything, but I'd like to know. I wanna know my friend better."

        Mark’s face did brighten when Tom called him his friend. “Well, that’s a very nice thing to be called”, Mark said quietly, chuckling a little before moving away from Tom. He grabbed his hand though, pulling him to the couch. It was easier to talk here. In reality, Mark didn’t exactly know where to start, because he didn’t want to give Tom his whole life story. There were parts he still didn’t like talking about, or didn’t want Tom to know quite yet. A lot of that was about Blue and where he came from and how that whole thing started out- but perhaps that would become a story for another time. Mark was still on edge about the topic of his boyfriend. He shook a little, and brushed hands through his hair. “Alright, well, I guess, I guess I should start by clearing up something you probably think- I don’t, I don’t fuck people”. Mark blushed a little at the sentence, because it was kind of funny to say, but it was entirely true despite the amount of people that would try convincing others otherwise.

        Tom followed Mark to the couch, keeping a good distance between them. He leaned back a little, pressing his back against the couch, sighing. He listened to the first thing Mark had to say though, his eyebrows raising a bit at it. "So, there's a rumor," he breathed. "Okay, putting that down as that then. So, what exactly do you do to them that they have the nerve to even say that? Is it just for their own reputation? Does it make them _'look cool'_ or something?"

        Mark blushed more when Tom asked the million-dollar question- _So what is it you do?_ Mark sighed. “Anything else.” He shrugged his shoulders before sinking further into the couch. “It’s just for fun, I guess, a friends with benefit sort of thing, gives them something to brag about for a week and gives me some sort of reputation and makes Blue proud of himself-” Mark coughed, treading into territory he didn’t want but he had a habit of talking. “I mean, I don’t like, sell myself, I just..kind of..I kind of _date_ ”- Mark made air quotes- “someone for a week and screw around but I don’t..I don’t fuck anyone. I don’t-” Mark played with his fingers then. “Blue does. But I won’t.” He spoke quietly.

        Tom blinked at that. He couldn't _believe_ Blue would go around fucking with everyone else except for Mark. He wouldn't give Mark the time of day, but he'd give it to someone else. That made absolutely no sense to Tom. "W-what?" he asked, really shocked by this. "W-well, that's funny, because he publicly announced that you were his boyfriend, and was all over me about being around you. So, this whole thing makes no more sense to m-me- what the fuck," he mumbled.

        Mark knew it was all so confusing to Tom, but it made sense to Mark in a confusing way. “He’s possessive of me to an extent.” Mark smiled then, liking the thought of that. “I have to always be there for him when he doesn’t have someone, and it doesn’t sound like he’s found someone this week. Probably why he yelled at you.” Mark spoke calmly, because that much was common knowledge anyway, even though Mark hated it, he hated being stuck in this zone, and he tried desperately, so fucking desperately everyday to get out of that. But Mark didn’t say so, because he knew Tom wasn’t stupid. “Can we go outside?”, he asked.

        Tom looked away from Mark this time, staring down at his feet. He didn't wanna go anywhere, he wanted to talk to Mark and figure this out. He wanted to know _why_ Blue did this to someone such as Mark. Or, why he would do that to anyone in general.

        "You're not just some rag doll he can throw around at everyone when they want you-" he said, quietly, a bit sad that Mark had let Blue do this for so long. He figured Mark's brain was planted with the thought of liking this idea, but the other side of it told him to run away as fast as he could in the other direction.

        Tom knew that's what would be going on with him if he were stuck in this similar situation.

        "He can't use you like he is, Mark. You're _human._ You have _feelings._ He _can't_ use you one day and then throw you away the next, and then grab you by the arm and drag you back. If he wants to be with someone so badly, then he needs to stick with some _one. Not_ multiple. That's gonna screw everyone over later in their lives. It's not gonna be a fun story to tell someone. Nobody is gonna take pride in this in a few years when we all graduate, so what the honest _fuck_ is the point to his little game?" by now, Tom was rambling, saying his thoughts out loud. He didn't know if he meant to or not. He figured it was best Mark knew what he was thinking, regardless if Mark would agree if the roll was reversed. He knew Mark wasn't gonna tell him certain things, even though he promised to be 100% honest with him tonight.

        Mark knew Tom was right, and he smiled up at him now. He did get up though, wanting to go outside. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the box of cigarettes, hoping Tom would get the hint. This kind of conversation stressed Mark out because he’d never had it before nor did he ever think he ever would. “See, that’s the whole point though”, Mark said, walking to the door. “I’ve been in this..this game, for years, and never has anyone told me the things you are.” Mark pulled his lighter out, his face showing more and more stress and anxiety. “ You’re making me think Tom, think about things i’ve shelved for years.”

        Tom looked up from the floor, watching Mark walk out the door, pulling out another one of those God awful things. He remained where he was, not wanting to go out there and inhale any of the fumes and or smell like that when he went home. He'd show up to school with more bruises than the one, then. "Yeah, well, I guess nobody ever seemed to care then," he mumbled, sadly. "Selfish, Mark. You surround yourself with selfish people."

        Mark didn’t force Tom to come outside with him, so instead he stood in the open doorway and lit his cigarette there. The effect instantly soothed his nerves. Tom was right, Mark did, but Mark didn’t know what to do, really. Instead he sighed, and looked up at the ceiling. “So you understand, that when we were…” Mark paused. “Grinding.” He blushed. “The other night, it wasn’t like the times where I usually do that with anyone else.” He darted his eyes over to Tom then, blowing out smoke.

        "You told me this already-" Tom stopped, realizing he said that really quickly and it sounded like he was upset. He was though, frustrated with the fact he wasn't getting the info he wanted. He wasn't getting the questions answered. Mark was just throwing different information at him, which confused his mind even more than it already was. "-it was different. It wasn't like anyone else, yeah, I get it. But how do I know you're not just saying that?"

        Mark heard the frustration in Tom’s voice and it frustrated him, even more so at the question. “I’m telling you this again because it’s really fucking important to me that you know that I never played around with you like I do with literally, everyone else”, Mark said quickly then, looking over at Tom. “Why would I just be saying that? Do you think i’ve told anyone else half of what I've told you?”, Mark couldn’t believe Tom was doubting him when he was telling him way more than what he needed to know, even if it wasn’t everything. Even if it wasn’t close to everything.

        Tom shrugged, not knowing what to say anymore. That was true, he believed Mark was telling him way more than he would tell anyone else. He sunk into the couch a little, resting his hands against his stomach and playing with his fingers. "I was just asking," he said, sadly, feeling guilty for even asking that. It's not that he doubts Mark, it's just he doesn't trust that he's being completely honest with him like he said he would. He'd been avoiding tons of questions he's been asking, except for this one. Maybe that's what he should trust then- was the one question Mark did answer- the one that involved Tom.

        “Okay, look, I can’t fool you, cause you’re smarter than I am, even though you walked in on me reading fucking Shakespeare- which- by the way- is another thing only you know.” Mark smiled a little, flicking his cigarette to burn the light, fading fire out. “So let’s do this. Ask me whatever the fuck you wanna know- whatever, and i’ll either answer, or tell you I don’t want to answer or maybe..” Mark sighed. “Maybe I will answer, since I said i’d be honest, and you’re not stupid enough to not see that i’ve been avoiding certain things.”

        Tom continued playing with his fingers, looking at them instead of Mark. He shrugged again, not knowing what to even say now. He figured he could just stop asking the questions and let Mark just talk to him. Let Mark just tell him what he wanted him to know. Maybe down the road in the future he'd tell Tom more things and it'd progress their friendship more and more each time.

        Mark felt bad then, and he thought back to earlier. Tom just wanted to help. Mark pushed the butt into the tray outside, leaving it there to come back to the couch to sit close to Tom. He knew Tom would hate the smell, but it made Mark feel better to be close again. “I’m sorry”, he said, apologizing. “I guess i’m really sensitive.” He tried smiling up at Tom. “I’m just trying to tell you that, you’re making me question everything. You’re helping.” Mark didn’t really want to go this far, but he couldn’t bear to hurt Tom’s feelings. “I feel like you’re saving me from something I never realized I needed saving from.”

        Tom's eyes finally looked up, seeing how close Mark was, and seeing him smiling again. He felt his heartbeat in his ears when Mark said he was saving him. He felt a blush bloom across his face; he couldn't believe Mark just said that either. "I just wanna make sure you aren't stuck in something you shouldn't be in. You should be treated right, and not like you are right now.."

        Mark shrugged, because he didn’t feel like he needed to be treated right. He wasn’t used to it, anyway, but that made Tom all the more special. “Yeah. You’ve made that very clear since the start.” Mark laughed a bit, remembering how snappy Tom had been with Blue. “I’m sorry, though, I guess I just..I don’t really want to talk about my relationship with him. It hurts you know, to think about things I never really considered before..and you realize you were chasing someone that just kept running..” Mark didn’t really know he was still rambling, because his head sadly drooped forward as he spoke, picking at his nail.

        Tom reached out, pushing fingers through Mark's hair gently, wondering if that'd help ease his thoughts. "I understand," he breathed, finally getting something out of Mark, and pieced somethings together as he thought more about it.

        Mark leaned into Tom, his fingers feeling really good in his hair. After a few seconds Mark eventually ended up snuggling up to him, because his fingers felt nice and his presence felt nice and maybe the relaxation from the cigarette was starting to kick in- whatever it was, even if it was just Tom, Mark felt calm and just wanted to be close. He wanted to forget about the image he made for himself and remember who he really was. Though he knew it’d be difficult, he wanted to forget about Blue, and form new memories with Tom. A real friend. Mark smiled, hiding it in Toms shirt. “Do you..do you have any other burning questions, Tommy?”, Mark asked.

        Tom made a face -wrapping his free arm around Mark when he snuggled up to him- thinking that his questions could wait. Or, at least, he figured they'd be answered in time, when Mark was ready to answer them on his own. "Not right now," he said quietly, playing with Mark's hair, smiling lightly at how soft it was between his fingers. He loved it, which made that rose color that already stained his cheeks turn slightly darker. He loved it? What was he thinking?

        For the next few minutes, Mark closed his eyes and rested against Tom, taking in his scent, his warmth, his being, everything that was Tom. It was so pure and real and made Mark feel like he never felt before. He eventually made a small happy noise and poked his nose against Tom’s stomach, which made him giggle because he didn’t notice how close he had gotten. “Sorry”, he said sweetly, licking his lips before digging his nose back in anyway. “M not used to cuddles.”

        Tom didn't mind sitting here with Mark- he began to doze off as well, his eyes falling shut, at how peaceful this one little moment was for them. They blinked open though, hearing that small, happy noise Mark had emitted. "It's alright-" he paused, smiling slightly down at him. "That makes two of us. Well, the only cuddles I've ever gotten was from my sister and she's really little so."

        Mark rolled over, his head resting in Tom’s lap but looking up at him instead. “You have a little sister?”, he asked, smiling. “Me too, though I guess mine isn’t really ‘little’ anymore, but she’s younger.” Mark’s hands went to Tom’s shirt, both of them kneading the fabric slowly. It seemed to be some kind of nervous habit for Mark. “Hasn’t she given you kisses too then? So i’m not your first kiss!”, Mark laughed, joking.

        Tom rolled his eyes at Mark, smiling wider at him. "Yeah, okay, you got me," he laughed, moving his hands along with Mark- one hand resting over Mark's stomach and the other resuming to play with his hair cutely. "You know the difference between those kisses and the kisses you gave me, you jerk."

        “You’re an innocent little flower”, Mark laughed, sticking his tongue up at Tom. “I suggest you get someone to eat your ass out. It feels good.” Mark smirked. “Next goal?”, he joked, laughing. Mark liked how comfortable he was with Tom, and how their conversation changed from serious to cracking shitty jokes.

        Tom didn't understand how much redder his face could get, but it was worse than it was a few minutes ago from Mark's comment. He liked the name he called him, but the next thing was like - wow. "Psh, w-what?" he asked, laughing slightly, trying to play it off. He looked at Mark seriously for a moment. "D-does it really?"

        Mark nodded. “Yeah. But I like my ass touched.” Mark turned red himself but played it off by keeping his tongue out at Tom playfully. “Personal preference of mine.” One of his fingers traced the pattern on Tom’s shirt. “I guess you might have fingered yourself, right, it feels like that, in a way, but a lot better.” Mark knew that didn’t make any sense but that’s what made it funny.

        Tom blinked at Mark, and gave him a funny look. "I told you a few days ago, I've never done anything in that sort- including kissing- in my life," he giggled a bit, smirking after. He wondered if he could tease Mark a little bit. "What, you offering to show me that too?"

        Mark smirked. “Maybe in a few months, if you’re still down”, he said sweetly, setting himself the new standard of taking it slow. Although Mark and Tom were just friends, Mark had no problem showing Tom a thing or two- except he wasn’t going to do it within a day’s notice like he did with everyone else. Tom, he was gonna take care of. He was shocked to hear Tom hadn’t stuck his own fingers up himself though. He was just barely turning fourteen, yeah, but that was around the age teenage boys turned into horny helpless humans. “Okay, but you’ve had to have at least _touched_ yourself, right?”

        Tom whined at that, not wanting to say no. Mark had lied, so Tom could, too. "Y-yeah," he said, looking away shyly, his hand tugging on Mark's hair lightly. "T-that's about it though."

        “Well, good, because i’d be worried if you hadn’t at least done _that_ ”, Mark laughed. He thought maybe he could tell Tom that he still had some innocence left, too. Just a little. “You know, I’ve never actually fucked anyone. Like, i’ve never topped”. Mark kept the smile on his face as he watched Tom, loving his fingers in his hair.

        Tom hummed at that, nodding too. "I figured as much," he said, but making a face after. "Not that you look like a bottom or anything, it's just you told me earlier you don't fuck anyone, so it was kinda easy to tell from that, I guess," he babbled on, nervously.

        Mark giggled. “What if I told you i’ve only had sex twice?”, he asked, watching him curiously now. He slipped his hands into Tom’s shirt, rubbing his belly cutely.

        Tom shrugged at that, knowing that Mark had done stuff like that, considering that's why he was in the position he was stuck in right now. "Then, you've had sex twice," Tom repeated, smiling at Mark. "I mean, it's not gonna change my view on you if that's what you're aiming at," Tom hummed quietly, feeling Mark's hands brushing against his skin- that felt nice.

        Mark didn’t expect Tom’s views to change, but he also didn’t expect Tom to say so. It made Mark blush and stay quiet for a few seconds. “You’re so fucking sweet, what the hell”, he giggled cutely, shifting his head a bit in Tom’s lap. “I was just wondering if, maybe you’d be surprised, like, expected to me have fucked around like a hundred times or so. But it’s only twice. O-only twice and I only really remember one of them.” Mark didn’t normally enjoy speaking of this, but with Tom, it felt alright. Yeah. Mark knew he’d eventually end up spilling everything to Tom, even if it wasn’t today.

        Tom frowned when Mark said he doesn't remember the one time he had done that. "Why can't you remember it?" he asked quietly. He felt bad for asking though, knowing that Mark was only going to tell him if he was ready to talk about it. But, wasn't he ready if he was talking about it already? Tom didn't know with Mark- he just knew he'd tell him when he wanted to. He'd just have to be ready to hear about it.

        Mark smiled shyly. He didn't mind telling this to Tom but he never really talked about it either just ‘cause no one ever seemed to ask or care. He looked at Tom with an amusing expression on his face. “Well, I was fifteen, and Blue and the others and I decided to go to a club and get fucking drunk off our minds..you'd know what that's like.” Mark smirked and leaned further back into the couch, making motions with his hands as he spoke. “I met a guy, and we really hit it off, and he led me to some room and the rest is a blur.” Mark shrugged. “I remember my clothes coming off and I remember waking up the next morning at Blue's house- I guess he took me home- and my ass really hurt, but that's it.” Mark laughed a little. Deep down, he wasn't proud of it, and it hurt Mark a bit to think that's how it all went down for him, but even though Tom could see right through him, Mark tried playing it off as amusing.

        "O-oh," Tom breathed, listening to that story. He was a little shook by it, considering that literally could have happened to him a few nights ago if Mark hadn't taken care of him after he passed out. "I-I'm sorry that happened to you- at least he brought you home so you were with someone you know when you woke up,"

     Mark bit his lip. Personally he thought if Blue really cared he wouldn't have let Mark follow the guy, but Mark couldn't remember if Blue was just as drunk as he was anyway. “Yeah”, Mark breathed, not really as thankful as Tom at least tried to sound. Any other day and Mark would have said that Blue fucking defended him, but now Mark wasn't so sure. He shrugged. “I mean he said it was good I had some experience now.”

     Tom made a pft noise. "Experience in what?" he asked, still shook by the similar experience. "Getting wasted off your ass and letting some guy fuck you till you black out? Mark, that doesn't sound like something you should have experience in..." he breathed, sadly.

      Mark sighed and frowned down towards the floor equally as sadly. “I mean, just like, having sex, at all, I guess, I don't know.” Mark looked up at Tom then and gave him a small smile. “The second wasn't that special either, but I was sober.” Mark laughed a little.

      Tom gave Mark a slight smile back down at him, his fingers brushing through Mark's hair still, gently. "Well," he breathed, thinking about these bad times for Mark, feeling bad. "I'm sure someday you're gonna find someone to do that with and it will be very special, something you deserve."

        Mark hummed against Tom's hair, liking his words and the feeling. Tom was so sweet. “Thanks”, he said happily. “Blue wants to have sex, but I keep telling him I don't really want to.” Mark spoke quietly. “Out of all the things I'd love to have him do, it's so weird because I don't want to go that far.” Mark spoke really quiet, because he wanted Tom to know this because fuck, Tom was so honest and he said the things Mark didn't want to admit. But it was something that felt wrong to say or talk about.

      "That's good that you told him no," Tom mumbled, but made a face after he said it. "N-not because I don't like him or anything, I'm saying that for your sake- like, do what you wanna do and say no to what you don't. Don't do it just‘‘cause someone tells you to."

        Mark moved close to Tom, nuzzling his face. “I know what you meant”, he said happily. “Thanks for always kind of..” Mark blushed. “Being here.” Mark looked at Tom shyly. “I've never had someone to like..talk to.” Mark bit his lip, realizing he pretty much then didn't have a friend before.

        Tom smiled happily back at Mark, feeling the slight burn on his cheeks. “Yeah, of course,” he said cutely. “I think it’d be good for you to have some other friends besides the ones you already have. Not that I’m any better but, you know what I mean, I hope.”

        Mark shrugged his shoulders. “Friends? It’s a little late for me to be friends with anyone in this school. They all either know me or don’t want to know me..” Mark smiled up at Tom then. “Except you know me, and you haven’t left me.”

        Tom laughed a little at that. “Like that girl I met? She wanted nothing to do with you,” he frowned at that then. He didn’t understand - well, he did understand why - why she didn’t like Mark. It was either because she had been with Mark, or his friends, and don’t like his kind at all. “She was just judging a book by it’s cover. Although, she was kinda cute- why’d you get so jealous of her talking to me?” He quickly changed the subject. He remembered the grip Mark had no him earlier, and how close he stood next to him.

        Mark wasn’t too focused on Tom at first, just watching him lightly, but his entire demeanor changed when Tom said Jen was cute. His eyes flashed up at him wide and he stiffened, his whole body tensing the way it did when someone threatened Blue. “She wasn’t cute”, Mark snapped, voice sharp. “You think she was cute? She wasn’t cute. You’re cute. Not her. Fuck.” Mark was already losing it by the end, realizing he showed his jealousy way too obviously that time. He breathed out, putting his hands in his hair.

        Tom bit his lip lightly, feeling bad ‘cause he said the wrong thing to Mark. He didn’t know he would take that to a high offense or even get jealous just over saying she was cute. He could understand why he’d be upset if he said he liked her or if he was with her. “I-I dunno,” Tom shrugged, pushing his fingers through Mark’s hair on top of his to soothe him a little. “I thought she was a little cute at least, I mean, she did have the nerve to invade my space,” he laughed at the last part. “Daring, kinda like me, I guess.”

        “Y-you don’t think i’m cute?”, Mark asked quickly, not realizing how much his heart had picked up. He was so fucking _jealous,_ and it didn’t even make much sense since he had Blue but the thought of Tom even thinking about someone else scratched and tore at him. “Y-you never said I was c-cute.”

        Tom made a face at that. _Damn,_ Mark _was_ a jealous one. “You never gave me a chance to call you cute,” he breathed, nervously. “You’re pretty cute. I see why so many people at school ask for you. Although, I’ll ask for you in a much more respectful way- just like, would you be my friend or kisses sound nice… something of that nature.”

        Mark relaxed a lot more when Tom called him cute, and told him he wanted to be his friend and that he wanted kisses. Mark grinned at Tom then, feeling proud of himself. “I agree with all three of those things”, he said. He scooted closer to Tom, feeling his body heat up and it was occurring to Mark that he really liked Tom. Maybe he was spending too much time with him. Maybe he needed to see Blue again. Mark thought about this, the thoughts shooting him down and the smile disappeared and Mark looked down instead, nervously playing with his own shirt.

        Tom noticed Mark’s smile drop, which caused his to do the same. “What’s wrong?” he asked quietly, looking down at him playing with his shirt. “Don’t be sad, that isn’t a good look on youu~” he tried saying happily, but feeling just as bad. He held Mark’s face between his hands, shaking his head a little. “Smiiileee, Marky,”

        Mark did giggle, Tom’s actions and words brightening him up. “Jesus”, he breathed, smiling wide at Tom now. “You’re so fucking cute, what the hell.” Mark’s eyes lit up, and he searched Tom’s face happily, taking in all his adorable features.

        Tom whined and shook Mark’s head some more. “I’m not cuuuute, ugh,” he groaned playfully, meaning what he said though, even if he was playing it off. “You’re the cute one, remember? Cuuuuutie.”

        Mark only giggled more, and tried to hide his face in Tom’s hands since they were still on him. A scary thought crossed his mind then though. What if Tom was just saying that? What if Tom was just trying to make Mark smile, trying to make Mark melt for him? What if he was just saying that because Mark wanted him to? Mark shook his head then and made a small, distraught noise. “Y-You really think so?”

        Tom nodded, smiling happily back at Mark. He was glad they were both smiling again, he would rather do this all the time. However, he did find Mark cute, but he didn’t even know he was into guys until a few days ago. That was new to him, but regardless of finding that out, he still thought Mark was adorable. “Yes, I do, Marky,” he said cutely.

        Mark turned a deeper shade of red then, and tried to nuzzle his face in Tom’s hands to hide it. “D-don’t look at mee”, Mark said playfully, embarrassed at how flustered he was getting. He didn’t really understand the pulling effect Tom had on him, but it was definitely there and it was definitely something Mark loved. It made his heart beat and his face red and it gave him a sort of fluffy feeling he never felt that often. It tore at Mark’s heart while simultaneously stitching it back together.

        Tom hummed lightly when Mark turned his face away, and instead ran fingers through his hair and brought him close to be more cute. “Don’t hide that face from meee,” he mumbled, it sounding a little teasing. “Staaahp.”

        Little happy noises escaped Mark’s throat as he giggled in his hands, shaking lightly with Tom’s fingers in his hair. “You’re making me all fluffy, Tommy”, he said quietly. “I never get fluffy. What the fuck.” He laughed a little. Blue made him melt, but he never felt...he never felt weightless.

        “Is that a good thing? Feeling fluffy is gooood?” Tom asked happily, not really matching a word to the meaning before. He figured it must be good from the happy noises Mark was giving him. “You never do? I gave you a first then too, yay!”

        It was the first time really that Mark felt all fluffy. “You’re right”, Mark squeaked, grinning up at him. He nuzzled Tom more. “You don’t know what fluffy is? It’s just...I..” Mark’s smile turned shy. “A-a feeling of weightlessness...from being like, happy, or, surprised, or, with someone you really like, and they’re making you feel special.” Mark’s eyes darted away.

        “I make you feel special?” Tom asked quietly, blushing lightly at that, not really knowing how to take that. He felt like he couldn’t ever make someone feel that way. Wait, he said that it’s also with someone you like? Did Mark like him- like _that?_ He didn’t wanna ruin anything and ask, so he left it at that, waiting for an answer with a shy smile.

        Mark giggled, just because he was fluffy and Tom’s adorable look made him all giggly. Mark didn’t want to lie, but he didn’t want to say anything, either, because Tom knew all too well that Mark had a boyfriend and Tom didn’t seem like the kind of person who’d want Mark cheating on someone with him. “Yeah, of course, I mean, you’re talking here with me, I mean, you’re a real friend, Tom”, Mark smiled. Safest route- friend zone, even if Mark hated the friend zone.

        Tom hummed happily at that, leaning back into the couch a little more, yawning after. He had plenty more questions to ask Mark, but he knew Mark would tell him these things when he wanted to. “Yay, my first friend here,” he breathed.

        Mark smiled, and leaned over to kiss Tom’s cheeks. “Mine too I think, if you think about it”, he smiled. He nuzzled Tom more. “Tommy~”. Mark’s heart was beating fairly quickly, he wondered if Tom could feel it and the possibility of so made him a little nervous. He almost felt like he was sweating, thinking in his head how he could actually feel this way, yet naturally Mark tried shoving it all away inside and blaming it on the absence of Blue.

        Tom blushed a bit harder, feeling the small kisses Mark pressed against his cheeks. “Aw, Marky,” he giggled cutely. Mark was right though, he was his first _real_ friend, considering his “friends” treat him like scum.

        Mark smiled. “I like the name ‘Marky’”, he said happily. He looked at Tom closely, making a small noise as he put his hands on Tom and tried to pull him back into his lap. “Come here, Tommy.”

 

        "O-oh," Tom breathed, feeling Mark pull him closer and wanting him super close. He chewed on his lip lightly, moving so he was sitting in Mark's lap, snuggly. He blushed even more, and nuzzled his face against Mark's chest cutely.

        Mark wrapped his arms around Tom comfortably, resting his head against the couch. His breathing slowed and he closed his eyes, feeling relaxed with Tom this close to him. It’s all Mark ever desired with Blue, but Blue made him so thirsty for it that surely that must be the reason he feels so in love with Tom. Mark didn’t believe he could like anyone but Blue, Blue was his whole ever after.

        But at the same time, Tom’s spoken words were true, and it made Mark wonder if Blue was just a trick. Mark always knew he was sort of back-up plan but he never wanted to truly realize what that meant until Tom showed up and spoke aloud to Mark of his darkest thoughts hiding in the back of his head. It confused him, throwing him into a situation where Mark wasn’t quite sure what was real and what wasn’t. The only thing he was sure of was that Tom made him feel really good, and it was moments like these that allowed Mark to breathe without smoke in his lungs.

        Tom curled up against Mark more, his nose nuzzling his shirt lightly and his hands gripping at it from the sides. He felt so comfortable sitting here with Mark, so safe, also. He let out another small yawn, and scooted his hips a little closer to Mark, making a noise that sounded like a tired whine.

        Mark smiled down at Tom when he whined as he moved his hips. He laughed a little, it being cute. “What, are you gonna sleep on me?”, Mark asked amusingly. He moved in to to plant little kisses on Tom’s neck. “I mean, sure, you’re welcome to sleep over,” Mark grinned.

        Tom let out another tired whine, his head resting against Mark's shoulder now. He shook slightly, feeling the chills of the kisses being placed over his neck gently. "I've had a l-long fucking day," he huffed out, feeling a little more weightless like Mark talked about earlier. "I don't think I should be missing again another night this week, as much as I'd like to stay all night."

        “You missed a night?”, Mark asked, laughing a little. “You mean the party? Where you were falling over? Shit Tom, that was insane”, Mark laughed some more, rubbing Tom’s back a bit. “Unless you’re seeing someone else, ooooh.” Mark grinned.

        Tom smirked against Mark's shirt, knowing he had nothing planned on the rest of the night. He just knew he'd be in more trouble than he was if he didn't come home again. As bad as it was, he was gonna get yelled at for the huge-ass bruise he had on his face. "I could see what that girl was doing tonight," he teased, kinda liking how jealous Mark got over him. Although, he knew he'd feel bad instantly if Mark was super upset by this. "I mean, seeing everybody knows everyone in this town, I could just ask where she lives and go see if she wanted to go for a walk or something or a movie at my house," Tom made a pft noise in his mind, knowing he wouldn't dare bring another person to his house for a long time.

        Mark stiffened at the mention of the girl again, the one Tom thought was cute. “O-oh”, he breathed, voice husky. His hands gripped Tom’s waist a little harder, instantly getting jealous despite the fact he shouldn’t be. “I-is that what you have planned for tonight? To go see some girl you think is cute?”, Mark asked, and moved to nibble on Tom’s ear. Maybe he’d make Tom stay. His heart certainly picked up pace- he was not going to lose Tom to a girl.

        Tom gasped lightly, feeling Mark nibbling on his ear lightly, and how lovely his voice had gotten. He knew he wasn't going anywhere tonight besides home, or maybe he wasn't even gonna do that. "I-I'm with someone right now who I think is p-pretty cute," he breathed, trying to push his face more against Mark's shoulder to hide how red it had gotten.

        Mark huffed, still jealous. His thumbs rubbed at Tom’s waist, wanting to tell Tom he was his even though he really wasn’t. He watched Tom try to hide his face, which softened Mark’s. His words rung in his ear though, Tom calling him cute again. Mark giggled, and pulled Tom into his lap more. “How can I be cute if you don’t even find yourself cute? If you find that girl cute!”

        Tom shrugged- he just never did. He assumed Mark understood, he'd seem like someone who would. "Just cause you are," he mumbled, nuzzling his nose against Mark's neck now, breathing him in. "She is as well, but not as cute as Marky."

        Mark blushed, and shivered when Tom rubbed his nose against him. He slipped his hands in Tom’s shirt, bringing them back to his waist and rubbing more with his thumbs. “Mm, don’t make me have to kiss you again. You’d better stop making me all giggly”, he laughed.

 

        Tom giggled and cuddled Mark more. He bit on his lip though- Mark's hands on his skin felt like fire now, and he didn't get why. "Hmm, your hands are warm," he said cutely, poking his face out finally, looking at Mark with flushed face, and tired expression.

        Mark smiled down at Tom. “Are they?”, he asked, moving them off of Tom’s waist and placing them on his cheeks instead, rubbing there. Mark only made a playful smile. “You look tired, Tommy. I think I should drive you home”, Mark suggested, despite him not wanting to let Tom go..

        Tom made a noise when Mark touched his face, the spot on his cheek where the bruise was starting to get a bit sensitive. "Like I said earlier," he smiled brightly. "I've had a long, rough day, but I like hanging out with you, so maybe a little longer. Unless you know a way to keep me awake?”

        Mark laughed, and moved Tom’s face closer to his. “Do you ask questions like that because you’re innocent or because you know everyone thinks you’re innocent?”, Mark asked carefully. He smirked. “I mean, there’s so many ways I could answer that.”

        Tom gave Mark a funny look. "There are?" he asked, wondering how many Mark knew. "I didn't know if you had like a drink or something to keep me awake- and not that kind, don't think that," he laughed then, not wanting that sentence to refer to alcohol.

        Mark rolled his eyes in amusement. “Oh my God, you’re just innocent”, Mark teased. “I’m just saying, it sounded like a real seductive question.” Mark giggled and moved his hands into Tom’s hair. “Couldn’t figure out what you were aiming for. So you just want like some coffee?”, Mark asked.

        Tom hummed happily, closing his eyes at the feeling of Mark's fingers in his hair. "Mmf," he replied happily. "I-I've never had coffee, does it really keep you awake like everyone says it does?"

 

        “What the fuck, you’ve never had coffee?”, Mark asked, standing up now, abandoning Tom’s hair. “You’re not just innocent you’re like, ‘first-time-masturbating’ level innocent. Jesus.” Mark laughed, not noticing the redness on Tom’s face at the statement, and went over to his kitchen to start preparing Tom some coffee. “You’ll probably be up all night then. Oh well. More time to masturbate I guess, break some of that innocence”, Mark joked, smirking over at Tom still on the couch. Tom turned away quick enough to hide his face.

        He shot a glare at Mark after he calmed down a bit. "I was comfy, excuse you!" he huffed, pouting at Mark leaving him so suddenly. He layed down on the couch and turned over so his back was to Mark's view. He snuggled his face against the couch lightly, closing his eyes again.

        “Not anymore you’re not”, Mark laughed, knowing he had knocked Tom out of his lap. He prepared the coffee, waiting for the machine to heat. “How could you have never had coffee?”, he asked again in shock. “Do you live under a fucking rock?”, Mark joked.

        "It feels like it sometimes," Tom mumbled to himself, still upset that Mark moved away from him. He was getting used to being so snuggled up against him, and he was loving it. He loved the attention. "I don't know, because I'm a fucking baby, apparently?"

        Mark rolled his eyes, watching the coffee whine as it finally spilled out. “You had a fucking insane amount of alcohol but no coffee”, Mark commented, his eyes shooting over at him. “And something tells me that was not your first time having alcohol.”

        Tom felt his body tense up at that, knowing what had happened. He whined again, this time sadly, feeling guilty about what he had done. He was reminded of it everyday, but today he hadn't been until now. "N-no," he said quietly. "Just bring me the damn c-coffee,"

        ‘Oh, so that’s your sensitive spot, isn’t it?”, Mark asked, noticing Tom’s change of demeanor. He put some creamer and sugar into the cup and brought it over to Tom, holding it out for him. “You’ve found several of mine so it’s about time i’ve figured out what makes you shut down”, he mumbled, turning the T.V. on. “So I won’t ask, cause you never pestered me.” Mark turned red suddenly, his eyes darting over towards the T.V. when suspicious noises started up. “S-shit”, Mark breathed, remembering the last thing he watched on T.V. wasn’t exactly something he needed Tom, or anyone, knowing. “N-nothing to see here”, Mark said quickly, trying to hurriedly find a different channel.

        Tom shook slightly, not wanting to talk about that. He knew he'd tell Mark eventually, if they stayed good friends. He figured they would, he just wanted to be sure first. He didn't need his story floating around school like Mark's was. He sat up, taking the cup of coffee from Mark, blowing on it lightly. "Isn't it supp-" he started, as the TV turned on, stopping when he heard the noises. Tom couldn't help but make a small noise, laughing quietly after. "Oh, there's _plenty_ to see there."

        Mark only turned more red and furiously flipped through the guide while his program played in the top corner. “D-don’t look at that”, Mark said, sighing in relief when he found a movie to watch and changed it over. “I mean, wow, like, I didn’t even know what that was all about- haha, weird stuff”, Mark laughed nervously. “I don’t watch that.”

        Tom continued to giggled as he sipped at the coffee while Mark looked through the channels. “Bullshit,” he laughed, setting the cup down on the table in front of them. “You gonna make some popcorn to go along with that movie?” he teased, grabbing at Mark’s shirt and cuddling up to him again, not letting go. He’d make sure Mark stayed right there, even though he asked for the snack.

        Mark made noises and shook his head. “Nah, I don’t even know what movie this is. I just put it on so i’d have something to do while you finished your first cup of coffee ever.” Mark stuck his tongue out at Tom. “Clearly, I can’t watch what I really wanna watch”, he teased. “I mean, I don’t know what that stuff was, but it look preeetty interesting.”

        "You're pretty interesting," Tom shot back, smirking. He just wanted to tease Mark about that now. "Is that movie more interesting than me? The one that was on before this?" he mumbled, nuzzling his face against Mark's cheek, before going back to his coffee, drinking some more. He was really sending out mixed signals, but he figured it would just be in return for Mark's previous ones. Plus, he was tired.

        Mark liked Tom’s teasing- he was used to it anyway. So while it didn’t particularly stand out to Mark, it certainly had a different effect on him than most teasing did because Tom actually meant something. He returned the smirk. “Hmm, well, you’re definitely cuter than any of the actors”, Mark smiled. “How’s your coffee?”, he asked, changing the subject as a tease.

        "Sweet," Tom replied, knowing that can be taken either way about the coffee or the comment about the actors being less cute than him. He set it back down on the table, then leaned into the couch, crossing his arms as he watched the movie, not saying anything else.

        Mark knew Tom was going for that double meaning with that response. “Wow, you’re an ass, aren’t you?”, Mark teased, poking Tom playfully with his finger. “That coffee really woke you up, and you’ve barely touched it.” Mark giggled.

        Tom giggled when Mark poked him. "Yeah, I guess so," he breathed, leaning his head against Mark's shoulder, watching what was on the TV. "I shouldn't drink too much. I just need to be awake for a few more hours so I can spend time with you."

        “Didn’t realize you planned on staying here for a few more hours”, Mark smiled, putting his hand back into Tom’s hair. “It’ll be late soon...you’ll be cutting into my ‘suspicious movie hour’”, Mark smirked, pulling on Tom’s hair lightly. “But you wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?”

        "Exactly," Tom said, smirking. It faded though, feeling Mark's hands in his hair again, making him hum. He didn't understand how that had so much of an affect on him. He knew that it felt amazing though. "I assumed you wouldn't wanna watch alone and just have yourself after, I could be here for you," he laughed.

 

        Mark turned a really deep shade of red then, not really sure if Tom was actually joking but part of him hoped he wasn’t despite the fact Mark knew he had to be careful with Tom. “O-Oh, Tom, no, that’s okay”, Mark said shyly. “Y-You-” Mark stopped, too flustered to say much else.

        Tom giggled to himself, knowing he got Mark all nervous and flustered. He was joking though, but he didn't know if Mark would even take him up on this offer. The thought alone made him slightly nervous as well. "Mm, well," he hummed, tugging at Mark's shirt lightly. "You'd be all set you know if you didn't knock me onto the fucking couch," he breathed, teasing about that too. 

        “Well if you’re gonna be talking like this you might as well pretend you fell off because of how much in love you’re falling with meeeee~”, Mark teased, looking down at him tugging his shirt. “Hey, whoa, calm down there, Tommy”, Mark giggled.

        Tom blinked at Mark, stopping his tugging, but rested his hand there instead. "Calm down?" he asked quietly. "I am calm, I'm  just playing with your shirt..." he said shyly now, blushing and looking away.

        Mark nuzzled Tom’s nose with his own, smiling happily. “Sorry. Usually when people tug my shirt they’re asking me to take it off”, Mark breathed. “‘I naturally assumed you were asking the same..” Mark gave Tom a sort of sad smile, because he knew it wasn’t the best thing to be used to.

        Tom whined sadly, and cuddled up against Mark instead now, wrapping arms around his neck and pushing his face in his chest like he had done earlier. They didn't need to do anything like that, they could just cuddle and be cute and Tom knew he could give Mark the attention like this that he deserved. "I-I'm sorry,"

        Mark knew what Tom was apologizing for, and he hummed a sweet response. He also cuddled against Tom warmly, slipping his hands back underneath Tom’s shirt. “You’re not someone to blame”, Mark breathed, really thinking now. “You’ve done everything right. Every..single..thing..” Mark breathed. He sighed out sadly. God, he didn’t deserve someone like Tom.

        Tom shook his head, nose rubbing against Mark's chest lightly. "I feel like I-I haven't," he said quietly. "I feel like I pester you with questions like I did earlier, and then you get upset. You even got upset when I mentioned that girl from earlier, or o-or," he whined again, and felt really bad now. He didn't wanna ruin Mark's mood or his own mood, but he figured he was doing just that, slowly.

        Mark frowned too, pulling on Tom’s hair lightly. “The girl is a different story”, Mark breathed, feeling especially guilty about that. “I-i’m sorry- I shouldn’t get so jealous. I just, you know, I just got you- I don’t want to lose you already.” Mark shrugged. It wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the full truth. “And you don’t pester me with questions.”

        "You make is sound like we're together," Tom said, a squeak escaping after at Mark tugging his hair. That got to him for some damn reason. "I did pester you with questions earlier, and they made you upset with me, and then I felt awful."

        Mark shook his head. “I don’t get upset. I’m just not used to talking.” Mark kissed Tom’s cheek, before letting out a loud sigh. “Yeah, I guess it does sound like we’re together..” Mark played with Tom’s hair nervously, showing that he was thinking about that more.

        "I know you Mark, but I don't know you that well," Tom said quietly, playing with Mark's shirt. He hummed a little when he twirled his hair. He liked that a lot. "P-plus, uh, you have him. I'd hate to see what would happen if he thought we were together. I mean, just by talking to you he fucking hit me-" he stopped, making a face. "I'm not worried about him hurting me, I'm worried about you."

        Mark appreciated how Tom looked out for him. He felt a little defeated when Tom indirectly rejected him, and couldn’t contain a whine when he brought Blue up. Mark looked down. Tom was right, but Mark couldn’t dare to show how much that truly bothered him. “I guess that’s where I get my jealously from”, Mark joked, forcing Tom a smile, and forcing his next words. “I miss him. I look forward to seeing him tomorrow.” Mark’s smile did end up brightening when he thought about how maybe seeing Blue would straighten out Mark’s true feelings.

        Tom let out a small sigh, sad that Mark still wanted to see Blue, despite what he told him the past few days. However, he didn’t blame Mark for wanting to see him, either. Blue was his boyfriend, and he loved him. He loved being with him- he apparently liked being rejected and teased all the time then too - but, he just hoped Mark was happy. That’s what he cared about- if he was happy or not. “Hmm, I’m glad. Maybe he’ll treat you differently now that he knows you like talking to me,” he said quietly, but the hint of sadness showing in his voice. “Give you that attention you finally deserve.”

        Mark caught the sadness in Tom’s voice, so he hoped Tom wouldn’t catch the sadness in his own. He did laugh at Tom’s words. “Maybe. Maybe he’ll kiss me more or something.” Mark shrugged, and looked outside at the window. “I wonder if they’re still out there.” His feet kicked on the floor. “It feels weird not being out there with them, but at the same time, I like it a lot better in here.” Mark flashed his eyes at Tom.

        Tom made a face, looking out the window then too. "Well, you can go outside with them if you want to, no one is stopping you," he laughed lightly. He knew Mark would rather be out there anyway, with his friends. Not with someone he barely knew, even though they've got to know each other a lot the past few days. "I can go home and try to hide out and do some homework, ew."

 

        “Homework’s not gross”, Mark said quickly. That was his true nature and his honest opinion, a part of him that he drowned for so long, being around asshole friends, but it was a part that Tom brought out in him instinctively. Mark quickly corrected his mistake with a horrified expression. “I mean, it’s _disgusting.”_

        Tom rolled his eyes playfully, giggling a bit. "Don't worry, your secret is still safe with me, you Shakespeare junky," he smirked at that, glancing at the window once more. "Or is the reason you're not going right now is because you'd rather still be doing your homework?"

        Mark blushed at Tom’s words and he felt his face heat up at the suggestion. “What? T-this late? Are you serious, I already finished all my homework yesterday!”, Mark said, crossing his arms.

        Tom laughed some more at Mark, and held his face in his hands gently. "Aw, Marky, how cuuute, you did all your homework ahead of time."

        “I-it’s not cute it’s just s-smart”, Mark huffed. “Staying ahead.”

        "Staying ahead? Dude, if you get it done this far in advance, I don't think you need to stay ahead. I think you'd be so excited to come home and do tomorrow's homework everyday- now you don't got anything to do!"

        “I don’t get excited to do homework!”, Mark laughed, punching Tom in the shoulder playfully. “I just...I just do it.” Mark smiled a bit. “I mean, sure, it’s not… _boring,”_  He grinned.

        Tom rolled his eyes again, and nodded to play along. "Ahuh, sure," he giggled, leaning back into the couch. He chewed on his lip lightly, glancing away from Mark for a moment. "What do you think would happen if we showed up at the park together? Think he'll punch me again?"

        Mark shrugged. “I don’t think he’ll punch you. Not in front of me, anyway.” He smiled. “He’ll probably just ask you why you keep begging for more and tell you some shit like, ‘you must be real good in bed if you keep bringing Mark back’ or something.” Mark laughed nervously. “Maybe he’ll offer.”

        Tom made a pft noise. "Well, you tried to kill me in front of them, and he threatened me several times so I wouldn't doubt he'd hit me in front of you," he sighed slightly. He made a disgusted face at Mark's comment though. "No! Gross! He wants to hurt me, not, not-" he made another face.

        Mark laughed at Tom’s face. “I mean, I don’t know, i’m sure if he thought you were super fucking good in bed he’d take you”. Mark giggled, but then got a little defensive. He pulled Tom towards him. “Except you’re not gonna let him.” He kissed Tom’s cheek, without really thinking. “And I wasn’t gonna kill you!”

        "You so were! I couldn't breathe!" Tom argued back, slightly upset that Mark tried to deny it. He made another face though. "God, he only takes people he thinks are good in bed? He'd be in for a treat then if I agreed," he laughed at that one, knowing that he didn't have any sort of experience. "He's an asshole though, I wouldn't agree- especially knowing that it wouldn't mean anything-"

        “I wasn’t going to kill you!”, Mark repeated again, getting a little upset now, too. He moved to stand up but quickly seated himself down, his hands in fists. He looked stressed. “Tom- Tom look there’s a certain-”, Mark sighed. “There’s a certain piece of me that, that jumps to his defense, okay?” He looked at him sadly then, his voice growing quiet. “But then there’s a lot of me that doesn’t want to hurt anyone. I didn’t plan on killing you. I-I stopped.”

        Tom blinked, his mood changing from Mark's shifting. "I-I know, I was just saying I thought you were, it scared me," he breathed back, looking away then. "I-I'm sorry, I know you get defensive over your boyfriend, like you should be, but I didn't think you'd do what you did."

        Mark didn’t think he’d do that, either. “I’m sorry”, he breathed. “I-I shouldn’t have, and i’m glad I realized that in the moment as well to prevent further harm.” He smiled lightly, and put hands on Tom’s face. “Your face is too pretty to harm.”

 

        Tom continued staring off somewhere else, not daring to look at Mark now. "I guess it isn't," he shrugged, referring to the bruise on his face from earlier. "Your boyfriend thinks otherwise. I do too."

        “No”, Mark said, a little sternly. “Don’t think otherwise. You must only think you’re pretty. Because you are”, Mark smiled lightly and tried to pull Tom back into his lap. “Everything about you is so pretty.”

        Tom made a sad noise, and just let Mark pull him in. He didn't really care much at this point. The whole mood and air around them had dropped, and he was definitely feeling it. "I don't," he breathed, making a face.

        “Why would you even think something like that?”, Mark asked quietly, playing with the strands of Tom’s hair. “There’s nothing I see about you that’s even remotely un-attractive.”

        Tom didn't really want to explain to Mark why he felt like that in the first place. He didn't understand why he felt this way, but a part of him knew. There were a few things, but he didn't wanna spill them for now. He shrugged, not saying a word now, but snuggled up against Mark when he played with his hair. He really enjoyed that. Mark accepted Tom’s silence, understanding if there was some actual underlying reason he didn’t want to explain yet. Instead, Mark twined Tom’s hair in his fingers, trying to pull his face up to look at him.

        “Do you feel pretty when I have you like this?’, he asked quietly. “Because I think i’m worthless, but you make me feel slightly worthy.” Mark bit his lip, admitting some things.  

        Tom held onto Mark’s shirt, lightly tugging on it, and staying snuggled tight up against him. He didn’t understand how Mark could say that, knowing that they haven’t known each other for a long time. He didn’t feel pretty at all sitting here, and it had nothing to do with Mark telling him he was. “I don’t feel that way,” he said quietly. “However, I do feel like maybe someone actually cares about me,” he let out a shaky sigh. “I never really got to thank you the other morning for bringing me home after the party. You’re right, I could have just slept there, and woke up with someone else or there alone or something- I’m just glad it was someone I knew, even if they are a jerkface and I’ve only known them a few days.”

        Mark smiled at Tom, rubbing his thumbs on his face. “I wouldn’t want that to happen to someone, especially someone like you.” He spoke sweetly, and held Tom closer against him. “I hope one day you can see how pretty you really are then.” He kissed Tom’s cheeks again, giggling lightly. “I can take you home now if you want. Or, you can kiss me, and then i’ll take you home.”

        Tom whined cutely, looking away from Mark and pushing his face against his chest again, hiding. "In your dreams, Mark," he smiled slightly though, moving his face a little then and nuzzling his nose against Mark's cheek.

        “Maybe”, Mark laughed, giggling again against Tom’s nuzzles. He slid Tom off his lap gently then though, making room to stand up himself. “Okay. I’ll take you home then. It’s back to the skate park with my friends tomorrow.” Mark smiled, but inside he no longer felt truly excited to see them. Well, maybe Blue, because Blue would remind Mark how much he really loved him.


	8. Chapter Eight

        Mark was sitting on the front steps of the school. It was lunch time, and he had to be alone. Alone to think about everything that's happened to him in the past week now. Maybe two. Mark couldn’t remember. He didn’t exactly care, either.

        The last time he saw Tom on his own was a few days ago now. He took him home after they spent the day together, and Mark hadn’t seen him at the skate park since then. He saw him around school of course, but Mark never opted to sit next to him and Tom didn’t make eye contact for longer than a few seconds.

 

        The skate park without Tom wasn’t exactly lonely, but it was empty. Blue, Shorty, and Chubby didn’t do it for Mark anymore, that much was sure. It hurt Mark more than ever to see Blue kissing up on other guys and girls, the small sting and boost of determination he used to gain from it gone and replaced with heartbreak and a venomous sting of, ‘you were just a toy’. Which, Mark had always known, but Mark had always refused to truly face.

        He heard the doors open behind him and he turned around, expecting to see the principal or someone telling him to throw his cigarette away and come back inside. Angrily, of course. But it wasn’t him. Instead, it was Blue, the boy that used to make Mark melt and whine but now had Mark whining in pain. He sighed when Blue sat next to him, smirking and taking the cigarette from Mark. That was something Mark always hated, and he snapped at Blue, taking it back. “That’s mine. Stop it.”

        Blue raised an eyebrow. “I’m the one that showed you those damn things.”

        “Yeah, and this one’s mine.”

        Blue rolled his eyes and put his arms around Mark. Mark huffed out smoke and looked up at Blue, biting his lip because part of him still wanted to pull his shirt, but everything else was nothing but somberness. Blue looked right back at him. ‘You know, you’ve been really different lately. Are you feeling alright?” Blue shook Mark playfully.

        Mark grumbled, focusing more on his cigarette than Blue. “I’m fine.”

        Blue smirked. “It’s that cheese boy, isn’t it? He must be really getting to you.”

        Mark felt his face heat up at that, and he had to look away, sucking in a lot of the cigarette as a kind of distraction. “N-no”, he huffed, breathing out the smoke. Mark’s heart rate didn’t lie though, his heart beating in his chest.

        Blue knew better, grinning, making ‘ooh’ sounds at Mark. “Yes it is. You know though, he seems to have moved on, you might need to find someone else this week.” Blue shrugged. “He’s by his locker right now with this real cute girl. I think she’s making quite the impression on him.”

        Mark’s eyes widened at Blue’s words and he quickly took the cigarette out of his mouth. His heart rate picked up. It had to be that same girl. Blue thought she was cute, too. Shit, was she really that cute? Mark put his cigarette out with his shoe, standing up. “W-what?”

        Blue laughed. Mark was so funny and cute when he got jealous over people that didn’t give a shit about him. “Maybe she’ll wanna kiss him. Hell, maybe they’re kissing right now.”

        Mark let out a small breath and in a panic, ran back inside the school and down the halls towards Tom’s locker. He was yelled at by a teacher, in which his run turned into a speed-walk, but Mark was set on one goal and he wasn’t really thinking. It was the envy that flowed him in him when he saw Blue kissing someone else and the panic that Blue would leave him forever, but it was multiplied and so much more and added to it was a horrible fear that Tom really didn’t give a shit about him. His heart racing and his mouth allowing small pants to escape, Mark swung open the doors to the next building and felt his heart end it’s race and drop when he saw Blue was right. There was Tom, happily responding to a very close and very sweet-talking Jen.

        Then Mark’s heart resumed its race, faster, blood pumping all over. Eyes were on him as he rushed up to Tom, grabbing his sides and shoving him up against the locker. Mark let out a breath before pushing his lips into Tom’s, kissing him harshly, but still sweet. It wasn’t so much lustful as it was fearful. Mark felt his nerves melt away when his lips touched his, his hands tightening on Tom and he forgot everything except for this moment. Everything felt in place and complete and Mark didn’t care that a thousand eyes were on him, because he felt better, loved, and he felt like the boy that made him realize everything wrong with his relationship and everything right with this one was being taken away from him in seconds.

~

        Tom had been dragging along the past few days, tired and bored of doing nothing but school. He'd get up and go to school in the morning, and go home and be stuck in that hell doing nothing but the work he had gotten during the day. He was itching to talk to someone and to go outside- he didn't know, he just wanted to do something besides sit in his room.  He was so eager and happy to talk to her. She, of course, forgot the meaning of personal space, and was all over him while they chatted away. He didn't mind so much- he was craving some sort of attention anyway.

        So, when Mark ran up suddenly and kissed him, he melted against the locker and into the kiss. He knew who it was immediately, he didn't even have to ask or to look, he'd gotten to know those lips recently. He wasn't sure if it was any attention he craved, or if it was just Mark's. He knew something was wrong though, feeling how quickly Mark's heart was beating against his chest and how shaky he felt against him. Something was happening - and he didn't know what yet - but he knew it couldn't be any good.

        He also knew this whole scene didn't look good, and he was sure he was going to attract some other attention as well- and the kind he didn't want.

        Mark made a happy noise when Tom melted back, and he moved his hands from Tom’s waist to his hair, pulling on it lightly just how Tom liked. A few seconds later, needing to breathe and calming down, Mark ripped his lips away from Tom’s and stood there, their foreheads touching. He was letting out little breaths, not just from the kiss but from the walking to get here, and from all the adrenaline and fear that was now leaving his body. His eyes looked up at Tom. “I-I’m sorry”, he breathed.

        Tom whined and leaned forward to chase after Mark's lips when they left his. Mark smiled at that. He met with his forehead though, happy he was just close to him now. He knew that it was Mark he'd been craving the past few days, just being around him was intoxicating enough. He looked at Mark when he spoke, his own heart beating wildly against his chest at the words he breathed. "W-what?" he asked quietly, scared on what he was sorry for. He felt his own fears and panic rise up- yeah, something was wrong. "W-what's wrong," he asked, holding onto Mark's shirt lightly.

        Mark licked his lips, dry from the running, but Tom lingered on them. He knew people were watching, especially Jen, who was cast aside in confusion, but it didn’t stop Mark. A shy blush crept onto his face. “F-for coming up and kissing you like this.” He spoke so only Tom could hear. “H-he told me you were here, and with h-her, and I needed-” Mark stopped, feeling stupid, selfish, and shameful. I was afraid I was losing you..

        Tom blinked at Mark, realizing what the kiss was all about. He was jealous again, knowing that Tom had been talking with this girl. Did Blue tell him that? That'd be the only person who would actually have the nerve to talk to Mark about Tom. He knew Mark was scared- he'd told him that a few days ago, not directly, but he could tell from his actions. Tom felt a blush spread across his face at how Mark went out of his way. "W-we were just talking- whoever told you I guess made it sound like a bigger deal than it actually was," he breathed, biting his lip slightly after, moving his hands up to hold Mark's face gently. "It's a-alright,"

        Mark felt weak in a position like this, and his heart picked up again. He was probably showing too much. He felt overwhelmed with emotion and Mark’s eyes suddenly got watery, and he looked down. “I-I was scared I-”. Mark stopped. He couldn’t tell Tom like this. He looked at the door, debating on running off.

        Tom looked over at where Mark stared, and he quickly grabbed onto his arms and held him close to him again. "N-no nono," he breathed, frowning at Mark. He didn't want him to run away and hide from this. "Whatever's going on, we can talk about it Mark- just don't run off alone, okay?" he said. "You can talk to me."

 

        Mark shook lightly underneath Tom’s hold, and he felt guilty for all the heavy breathing he was doing because he was probably blowing nothing but the scent of cigarettes onto Tom’s face. He continued to look at him with wide eyes. “B-But we can’t talk h-here. I have a class still. You have t-two.”

        Tom let out a small sigh, and moved his hands back to Mark's face, rubbing thumbs over his cheeks in an attempt to soothe him and calm him down at least for now. "Be a rebel and skip them with me," he said, whispering the next thing so only they could hear. "I deserve a break anyway, all I've been doing is school work cause I'm grounded- you should be proud of me."

        Mark did smile proudly at Tom for doing his work. “Good”, he breathed, but he still didn’t want to skip class. “I’ve only ditched a few times before”, he said back quietly, a little amusingly at that. “Blue’s gonna wonder where I went. He knows I won’t skip class, but he thinks it’s just cause my mom actually cares when the school calls to say I wasn’t in class.” He grinned. Tom knew the real reason why. But...maybe he could make an exception. Just this once. “Where’d you wanna go?”

        Tom giggled at that- he did know Mark's real reasoning for always wanting to go to class. He had a thing for school, English especially. "I dunno, somewhere we could talk," he mumbled, running his thumb over Mark's lips lightly, thinking about a place they could run off to for the rest of the day. "It doesn't matter to me- just as long as I'm not here, I'm going crazy," he laughed.

        Mark knew how nervous Tom must be with all the eyes. Jen was still squinting at them, probably too intimidated to say anything. The smile didn’t leave Mark’s face though- he loved how sweet and gentle and caring Tom was being with him. Mark needed some of that. Badly. He sighed, but his eyes grew wide open again when he heard Blue’s voice, calling for him across the hall. Blue looked like he could almost be angry, but at the same time it also looked like he might be laughing because of how weak Mark had displayed himself to be. It looked like the roles were reversed, as if Mark was being the one captivated by someone he was supposed to be teasing. Tom tensed up when he heard Blue calling for Mark, and knew immediately that Mark was about to abandon him right now. The defeated look on Mark’s fearful face only proved that.“I-I gotta go.”

        Tom whined quietly and held onto his shirt, not wanting him to go. He didn't want Blue to take Mark away from him anymore- he could share, right? "N-no," he protested. "Don't listen to him, you don't have to go to him-"

        Mark knew Tom was right- God, he was always right, but Mark panicked at the thought of not going to him. “C-come over after school. We’ll talk, okay?” Mark breathed, and tried to lightly push Tom off of him. Just enough to give Tom the hint to move so he could go. Something told Mark that Tom had pieced everything together now, had figured out that Blue didn’t really love Mark. That he knew Mark was just now really catching onto this, and that every second his heart was being ripped bit by bit. Tom knew all this- yet he knew all this long before Mark realized. Tom knew that Mark’s heart was on a counter the day they first met, and as he moved away from Tom and towards Blue he felt the last few patches of it torn and ripped.

        Tom felt a few tears swell in his eyes, so angry that Mark would even want to go back to Blue even after everything they discussed. He knew he would though, for his own reasons- but, he thought maybe Mark broke from the habit of always running off when called. He hated seeing his friend being ripped up and treated like he was nothing. So, when Mark walked away, he wasn’t only tearing his own heart, he was ripping away a part of Tom’s too.

~*~

        “What do you mean you don’t want to hang out with us after school anymore?”, Blue yelled.

        Mark had enough credits so he didn’t need a class this hour, so Blue, Chubby, and Shorty were ditching to speak to him. Well, there was that, and there was also weed, and Mark was sure they were probably ditching more to get high than to talk to him. Blue was the one that actually wanted to talk, even if he did take his turn. It was the first time in a while that Mark had denied any. They were sitting down the street from school, because no one planned on returning anyway.

        Mark shrugged, watching Shorty mess around with the glass. “I mean, I love the skate park, but I don’t, I don’t want to treat people the way we do anymore.”

        Blue rolled his eyes, pissed off at Mark’s statement. “This is all fucking Tom’s fault, he’s softened you up.” He crossed his arms. “You won’t even smoke this with us.”

        “I don’t want any right now.”

        “Why? Because you’re planning on seeing Tom tonight?”, Blue snapped, standing up now. He grabbed onto Mark’s shirt from above, and Mark didn’t move away. “So, fine, if you don’t wanna be an asshole with us, but then what happens to us, huh?” Blue asked furiously.

        Mark sighed. There was never an ‘us’ to you. But he didn’t have the guts to say it. He was just as afraid to admit it to himself as Blue was afraid of hearing it. “N-nothing.” Mark breathed. He couldn’t break up with Blue- he couldn’t- and besides Mark had tried- he had- and Blue never let him go.

        Blue grinned at that. It seemed to calm him down. “Good”, he said, pulling on Mark’s shirt. Mark understood and stood up to face him. “Because you’re mine.” Blue leaned in to kiss Mark, and he did so needily, his hands roaming all over Mark and pulling him closer and closer not to say ‘I love you’, but to say, simply,”you’re mine”.

~*~

        Tom set his arms on his desk, crossed, resting his chin on them and thought about what happened just ten minutes ago. He still couldn't believe how fast that had happened, and how it seemed like every emotion poured out from Mark that Tom could soak in. He wanted to know specifically why Mark had done that- well, he understood, but he wanted to hear it from him. He wanted him to tell him how he felt and just everything that was running through his head at that moment and the time it took him to rush across the school to Tom. He glanced up at the clock, drowning in his thoughts until it read the time he could leave and go home.

        Home.

        Home was going to be a problem. He wasn't allowed to go anywhere or talk to anyone besides school and his friends there. He was grounded from sneaking out for the party, staying at Mark's that night, and coming home all beat up a week ago. They hadn't specified how long he'd have to live like this, but he realized that he couldn't anymore. If he was gonna go to Mark's today, he'd have to sneak out again when it got late.

~*~

        Tom shook lightly as he skated over to Mark's house, nervous for conversation and from the chills of the night.. He yanked up the hood on his sweatshirt, skating a little faster. He had a ping in his chest again, knowing he was going to literally die if his parents found out he left again. Maybe Mark could save him from that as well.

        Eventually he got there, kicking his board up from his feet. Tom knocked on the door lightly, biting his lip. He hoped it wasn't super late and hoped that he didn't wake Mark's parents or anything. Mark didn't tell him how to get in the house without disturbing anyone. He didn't need them calling his own parents or some shit like that.

        Mark didn’t answer the door, but neither did his parents. Instead, a girl did. She was pretty and spunky, probably close to Tom’s age. She looked up at him with bright eyes. “Oh. Hi. My parents aren’t home, if you’re looking for them.” Most people that came over alone were looking for them, anyway, so she only assumed.

        Tom only chewed his lip harder when a pretty girl answered the door- well, he wasn't expecting that. The only thing that he could think of was that Mark brought someone home tonight, maybe thinking Tom wasn't gonna show becaused it got late.  He felt his body relax slightly when she said her parents weren't home. Oh- this must be Mark's sister then.

        "Hey," he breathed, smiling a little. "Is Mark home? He asked me to come talk to him today after school but I got caught up in stuff after and this was the only time I could come over, if that's alright??" he rambled on like he usually did, feeling slightly nervous, knowing that him and Mark would be having such a deep conversation with his sister being home.

        She nodded, and moved out of the way a bit to let Tom in. “Uhm, he’s asleep though- I mean.” She blushed, knowing Tom would be able to see Mark passed out on the couch from his view now. “He doesn’t smell too good. Or sound good. I don’t think he had a good day. Maybe you can cheer him up then.” She smiled brightly, squeaking a bit.

        Tom smiled more when she let him in the house, glancing over at Mark on the couch. Yeah, he was asleep- and he looked awful. He blinked at Mark's sleepy form then at his sister. "What the hell happened to him?" he asked quietly, setting his board down by the door so he wouldn't forget it later. He went over to Mark, sitting down on the couch next to his head. He rested his hands on Mark's face, smacking his cheeks lightly to try and wake him up. "Mark, get up, we have things to talk about," he said a bit louder than how he spoke to Mark's sister earlier.

        She shrugged, and made a face again. “I don’t know. But see if you can get him to shower. I hate when he comes home smelling like that.” She smiled at Tom before going off to her room.

        Mark grumbled something inaudible, and slowly lifted his head off of the couch and looked up at Tom, dazed, before letting out a sigh. He rubbed his eyes and sat up, making a face and lifting his shirt to smell it. He sighed again, letting it fall back down. “Dammit.”

        Tom made a face, clearly smelling whatever Mark had done all over now since he moved. "O-oh God, what did you go do, you smell disgusting," he huffed, glancing in the direction Mark's sister walked off in. "Your sister told me to tell you to take a shower ‘cause she doesn't like it either."

        “Yeah, Anne always complains about it”, Mark breathed, running fingers through his hair trying to straighten it out. He looked over at the clock. It was late. “I was beginning to think you weren’t going to show..” Mark rubbed his hands over his face, forgetting Tom’s original question.

        Oh, so that's her name, Tom thought. Tom shook his head and tried ignoring the scent Mark was carrying. "I told you earlier I have restrictions for awhile," he made another face, mad about that still. "I had to wait til they went to bed before I could leave. I-I'm sorry."

        “It’s okay, I’m just glad you’re here”, he said, yawning. He still had a headache from earlier, but at least he was more awake now. He smelled himself again, and remembered Tom’s question. “Oh”, he said. “It’s uh..it’s weed- but I didn’t smoke any, not this time, anyway..they were.”

 

        Tom chewed on his lip again, a little disappointed that Mark didn't go straight home after school and hung out with Blue and his friends. He was also upset that Mark was doing stuff like that, but he couldn't say he was surprised- considering Mark smoked anyway. "O-oh," he said quietly, shifting his feet nervously.

        Mark saw the nervousness on Tom and smiled lightly. “D-don’t worry, like I said, I didn’t smoke any and I didn’t bring anything but the smell home with me.” Mark stood up off the couch. “I’ll go shower. Wouldn’t want to make you smell like it, you’ll just get whooped by your parents it sounds.” Mark laughed a bit. “I’ll be quick then, okay? Then I have some things to tell you.” Mark walked away then, towards the bathroom to take his promised shower.

 

        Tom watched Mark walk away, smiling a little. He was glad Mark was showering, because he really couldn't take the smell anymore. He leaned leaned onto the couch, laying himself out on it, with his legs hanging over the edge, shoving his hands in his sweatshirt pocket. "Mm," he hummed, yawning after, closing his eyes. He was tired after all of this today, and the week that flew by. He was glad that he was somewhere other than his house or school though

        “Yay, he’s showering”, Anne laughed lightly, coming out again.

.

        Tom nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard Anne speak to him, his heart beating out of his chest from not expecting that. "O-oh shit," he breathed, laughing a little. "Y-yeah, he is,"

        Anne’s smile stayed on her face. “He’s never had anyone over this late before”, she giggled. “He wouldn’t, though. Are you his friend then? He never has friends over.” Anne shuffled her feet. She knew a lot of what Mark had going on, and she could easily tell Tom was not part of that.

        Tom sat back up on the couch, looking at her curiously. Did she know about what Mark does? "Hm, really?" he asked, wondering just how much Mark does or says around her. "He told me he wanted me to be his friend a few weeks ago, so I'd like to say we are."

        “Weeks?”, Anne echoed excitedly. Mark never talked to new kids for longer than a few days. She walked up to him more, looking at him, and chewing on her lip then. “But you seem too nice to be his friend. I don’t like his friends. You aren’t like them.” She grinned more and stretched her arms out. “So my brother has a real friend now?”

        Tom couldn't help the small, shy smile and blush he gave Anne at that. He liked knowing that he was one the of the first people to be actual friends with Mark. However, he didn't really like that idea either. He wished someone came along sooner to help break Mark out of what he's stuck in now. It would have been easier any time sooner than this. "I guess so," he said cutely. "I don't like his friends either. They aren't so nice to me."

        Anne sat down on the couch next to Tom now, relieved the smell was gone. She rubbed her nose. “I don’t think they’re very nice to Mark, either”, she said, looking up at Tom. She played with her fingers now. “You don’t smell like weed though. His friends always do when he does.” She wondered if Tom just knew better. Or if that was because Tom wasn’t one of them.

        Tom nodded, agreeing with her, sighing after. "They aren't very nice to him, you're right," He mumbled, looking away for a moment then back at Anne when she said Tom didn't smell like Mark. "N-no, I'm not into any of that stuff, nor should your brother be."

 

        Anne’s eyes remained bright, and she scooted closer to him without warning, giving Tom a tight hug. She pushed her face into his chest. “You really are the person he needs”, she breathed. “I-I’ve been so worried about him and his friends and his stupid boyfriend..” Anne sniffed.. “You’re not like any of them.” She could tell. She knew exactly what kinds of people Mark hung out with, and Tom stood out.

        Tom tensed slightly when Anne moved close to him and hugged him tight. He let out a small sigh, not really expecting it, but accepted it. He smiled down at her, wrapping his arms around her, too. "I'm worried about him too," he breathed, rubbing her back lightly. He giggled when she said stupid boyfriend. That was most definitely true- he was pretty dumb. "You got that right."

        Anne hummed against Tom, and a few minutes later Mark was coming back to them with a plain t-shirt on and some boxers. Pajamas, since it was so late and he didn’t really care. He smiled sweetly when he saw Tom hugging his sister. “Making friends there, Anne?”

        Anne poked her head out and smiled at Mark excitedly. “You are, too!” Mark blushed. Yeah. Yeah, he was. Anne moved away from Tom then though, giving them their space as she went back into her room. Mark giggled lightly at Tom. “She’s a sweetie. Little older than you. Probably just by months.”

 

        "I think our sisters would get along perfectly."

        Mark sat back down in his spot, and nodded at Tom’s comment. The despair returned to his face and he moved his leg up and down nervously. He didn’t even know where to start. What was he supposed to tell Tom? He ended up frustrating himself and sank back down into the couch. “I’m still sorry for attacking you with that kiss earlier.”

        Tom shrugged, watching Mark carefully. He was trying to read what he might be feeling by the way he was acting. Well, he was nervous for one. Tom was nervous too, wondering what this conversation was really going to be about. "It's alright," he sighed. "What exactly happened before the kiss though? What ran through your mind on the way to me? I just wanna know, it was so fierce- you were scared of something."

        Mark tensed up. This was it, he knew it. He’d have to tell Tom, and if it wasn’t his next few words, it’d be within the next few minutes. But he could start one thing at a time. Mark sighed and looked away, immediately starting to chew on his lip. “Blue. He told me I had been acting different. Because of you. Then told me you were with that girl. Jen. That’s her name, right?” Tom shrugged. She never mentioned her name. Mark sighed, and sunk into the couch.  “Goddamn I need a cigarette”, he breathed, feeling immensely stressed already. His whole body was tight and shaky. He was scared of what happened today and scared of what else was left to happen.

        "So you let him scare you? Do you even wanna be different? What's the difference if I was talking to her? It was just talking." Tom said all those question quickly.

        Mark felt panic rise in himself when Tom questioned if he was even different. Tom didn’t understand the girl was clearly into him- and he didn’t understand that he was even interested in him. “It’s just talking to you.”, Mark said, voice hissing slightly. Mark felt himself growing defensive, and his heart rate picked up again.

        Tom pushed the hood down off of his head, and crossed his arms- not in a defensive or tensed up manner though, just more curious and intent on figuring out why Mark was saying that. "Yeah, just talking. Cause that's all it was," he made a face, not understanding. He dropped his arms and looked away. "Mark, please just tell me what's going on, I'm tired of playing games," he said, a bit sad this time.

        “No one’s playing games- I’m done playing games- you just don’t see it!”, Mark sat up a little more on the couch, sighing when he saw Tom take the hood off because his hair was messed up in a pretty cute way. “She’s interested in you. You’re gonna tell me, you really don’t think so?”

        Oh. Oh- so that's what Mark was getting after. Tom looked back over to Mark, biting his lip lightly. "It was just talking to me- is what I meant. You're taking it like I'm stupid and don't see it," he sighed out. "I know she's into me, I can tell by the way she tries to throw herself all over me," that made him laugh a little. "But, all I think about her is that she's cute, but nothing else. Do you not like her or something? She doesn't like you-"

        “I know she doesn’t like me, thanks”, Mark mumbled, chewing on his lip. He was nervous because he felt like he was going to burst and end up telling Tom he was equally as interested. It also made him nervous because of Blue- but Mark didn’t want anything to do with Blue anymore. He was over him, over his friends, over that life- but what happened earlier seemed to contradict it all. He was just scared, because Mark knew what Blue was capable of. If he made him mad earlier, he wouldn’t be here with Tom. He put his hands in his hair and pulled on it, when he processed Tom calling her cute again. “C-cute? Y-you keep saying she’s cute!”

        Tom let out a breath sadly, feeling guilty that he was making Mark more upset and nervous. "I've only said it once right now!" he said back quickly, feeling defeated. "I-I'm sorry, okay? I don't like her like that, she's just some girl that stops by and talks to me, she's nothing more to me- I just wanna know why that matters so much; What's wrong with her to make you panic like this when I talk about her?"

        “There’s nothing wrong with her!”, Mark said loudly. He moved his fingers from his hair and looked at Tom stressfully. “Blue told me you were with her. Told me she was probably talking you up all nice and sweetly- so that’s why I came over and kissed you like I did, alright, and fuck, did that feel good!”, Mark felt hot all over, with anger and nervousness and he was holding the truth right on the tip of his tongue.

Tom whined quietly, shrinking down slightly when Mark started yelling at him. "Y-yeah," he squeaked nervously. "W-why do you bother listening t-to him anymore, he's got nothing g-good to say to anyone," he breathed, looking away again, feeling even more nervous than he did when they first started the conversation.

        “Tom”, Mark said, his voice full of exasperation but no longer yelling. He shook his head and put his hands on Tom’s face. “Can you, for one second, just think.” Tom didn't look at Mark, but allowed him to place his hands on his face. He closed his eyes for a moment at the touch, listening to what he had to say. Mark smiled a bit then, because he couldn’t look at Tom’s face with an angry expression. He sighed, and blushed. “Tom, you’re not stupid enough to not realize I was jealous, right?”

        Tom’s  eyes flicked over to him then, and moved so Mark's hands would fall of his face. "You shouldn't b-be," he mumbled sadly. "There's no reason, you're head over heels for someone already, there's no way you could be."

        Mark caught the sadness in Tom’s voice, and wondered if maybe Tom was upset that Mark was taken. He shook his head though. “Yeah. but I left that person..to go see you, and kiss you, and for a few seconds just..” Mark looked down. “Pretend you were mine.”

        Tom looked down when Mark did, feeling his breath catch slightly. How could Mark even say that? From what he understood, he'd never be like this. He'd never move on from Blue- and how did he even get away from him earlier if- "W-why?" he asked gently, curious on this. He wanted to know now.

        Mark kept his vision away from Tom. He was terrified of losing him again. What if Tom was upset with him, or didn’t even want to be his friend anymore? His eyes watered, and his body felt like an icy fire. His voice became quiet and honest. “You’re the most real person i’ve ever met. You want to stop playing games, right? Well so do I, and you forced me to see how much of a fucking game Blue was. He was my only desire but I was only a side bitch to him..I always was. And I knew that Tom, I fucking knew that this whole time but I never wanted to come to terms with it-” Mark shut his eyes. That hurt. He cared so much about Blue, put so much time and effort into him and he never returned it back. “He never even bothered to tell me happy anniversary.” He sniffed and looked at Tom then, knowing his heart would either be destroyed or mended. “I enjoyed the time I spent with you more than I enjoyed the time with him. Don’t you remember, how I felt after you let me kiss you? It was so fucking different and nice.”

        Tom remembered that day- how could he forget? It was his first kiss, and it was really special, and he didn't understand why it felt so perfect until now. His lips twitched into a slight smile, feeling a little victorious for opening Mark's eyes a bit to see how trashy his boyfriend was- how he was always going to treat him like a side project, like a fling. It faded pretty fast though, when he looked at Mark. "I enjoyed the time too, I liked learning new things about you and piecing these jagged edges together to find out about your friends and life and all of this," he breathed, talking with his hands like he usually did. He didn't know what to say next- too scared that one wrong word would hurt Mark. He knew he was in such a fragile state right now, considering- Tom was assuming this - he left his friends he's known forever and his boyfriend to be able to be friends with him. "H-how did you even get away from him? I'm surprised he let you go-"

        “He thinks it’s funny Tom, he knows how I keep coming back to you and it’s another game to him. I don’t know how much longer he’ll keep laughing though..” Mark licked his lips. He wasn’t going to bring up the fact that he left his friends earlier. He didn’t want to. Tom could figure that out. “I don’t think he’ll find it very funny when he realizes i-i’ve-” Mark choked then, not able to say it. -Gotten feelings for you.

        Tom chewed on his lip slightly, listening to Mark. Okay, so Blue thought Mark's feelings were funny, huh? "R-realizes what?" he asked quietly, but moved over to Mark gently and wrapped his arms around him in a cute hug. Tom thought Mark looked like he needed it- maybe it'd help him relax a little more.

        Mark immediately snuggled against Tom when he pulled him in, and let a tear fall down his face. He wanted to hide it, so he buried himself enough that his voice muffled when he spoke. His hands pulled on Tom’s shirt, balling it in his fists. “T-That I like y-you.”

        Tom let out a small sigh of relief when Mark finally said that to him. He knew exactly what Mark wanted to say earlier- he just wanted to hear him admit it to him. He rubbed Mark's back lightly, humming quietly. "I-I know," he breathed. "Just wanted to hear you say it."

        Mark let out a shaky breath of relief when he finally got it out, sobbing out a few more times as his body relaxed with all the stress that had left him. He heard what Tom said next though, and it was enough to convince Mark to stick his red face out and look at him. “W-what?”

        Tom was smiling a little, but it quickly faded when Mark looked at him, to show that he wasn't just messing with him. "Y-yeah, I realized it a few minutes ago," he said quietly. "I-I dunno, I-I'm sorry, Mark I just wanted to know someone actually liked me and even if it's not just as a friend or even just that, I wanted to hear it-"

        Mark shook his head. “N-no, no, it’s fine, just-” He wiped his tears a bit. “It kind of makes it easier, anyway, ‘cause you could easily hate my guts or something..” Mark sniffed again, watching Tom still. “I-I realized that over the past weeks, i’ve started to really, really like you.”

        Tom placed his hands on Mark's face, helping him wipe the tears away from his cheeks as soft as he could. "I don't hate you, Mark," he sighed, but smiled a little. "I hate your friends- and yeah, I guess I could have hated you, but you waved back to me even after you beat the shit out of that one kid when I showed up. You could have easily given me that same expression and did the exact same thing. You wanted to kill me that one day- but that's not the point. The point was, I noticed you were different than your friends because you welcomed me there. I don't know if you realized you did, but you did, and it made me feel a little better about myself that day."

        Happy noises emitted from Mark when Tom wiped his tears away. His eyes widened at his recollection. “Y-you remember me waving back?”, Mark asked, amazed that Tom even remembered that day. He giggled lightly soon after though. “Oh. You were so cute that day. So lost.”

        Tom let out a quick breath, nodding and laughing lightly. "Y-yeah, of course I remember it. It was hell on Earth that day at my house- and the day I met one of my friends," he rubbed Mark's face one last time before dropping his hands back down and shoving them in the pocket of his sweatshirt. "Just somethings I can't forget."

        Mark smiled and nuzzled comfortably against Tom, stretching his body out to lay on him against the couch. He felt a lot more safer, comfortable, and relaxed since admitting he liked Tom. He didn’t want Tom to leave. “Do you have to go home?”, he whispered.

        Tom squeaked again when Mark crawled on top of him, blushing immediately after for making that noise. He wrapped his arms around Mark again, hugging him close. "I do if you ever wanna hear from me again," he laughed quietly, stopping after a few seconds. "Seriously though. If they found out I left again, they're going to murder me, I fucking swear."

        Mark frowned. He didn’t want Tom to go. It was too soon. “Can you lay here with me for a little longer then?”, he asked quietly, sticking his face in Tom’s neck. “I-I feel okay with you.”

        Tom sighed, but only snuggled Mark closer to him. "Y-yeah, just a bit longer," he hummed, leaning his head back into the couch and closing his eyes. He was so tired- tired of only doing school work, and being only there and home- but, he was just tired in general too. He let out a small yawn, it being so comforting to be with someone who cared about him.

        Mark started to dot sweet little kisses on Tom’s neck, coming up to his cheeks and giggling after. “You’re seriously the sweetest”, he breathed. He felt a little sad that Tom didn’t say he liked Mark back- but he couldn’t force a feeling.

        Tom relaxed more against the kisses, humming lightly in response. "I'm sure there are people who are sweeter," he yawned again, feeling super sleepy now that Mark was talking to him softly, and just making him feel good in general. "I'm positive."

        Mark shook his head, his nose rubbing against Tom’s skin. “I wouldn’t know them, then, because you’re the sweetest i’ve ever met.” Mark blushed. But it was true. Tom saved him. “You’re sweeter than him.”

 

        Tom blushed along with Mark, smiling. “Mm, you’re pretty sweet. Sometimes, anyway,” he giggled at that, then realized who Mark had mentioned and sighed. “Y-yeah, well, you saw how nasty I can be to someone. Us bickering back and forth was pretty bad.”

        Mark laughed. “You did the speaking up for me I should have done long ago.” He held himself up with his hands now, lifting his chest up a bit so his head would come up to look down at Tom. “Seriously, Tom, God- it feels like, you came here to save me.”

        Tom opened his eyes then, blinking up at Mark. He felt another blush creep over, giving Mark a shy smile. "You think so?" he asked cutely, curious on if Mark really believed that to be true. He had been going out to the skatepark all the time to get out of his house- oh. That could go both ways. "I-I think we're here to save each other, actually."

        “I haven’t done shit for you, just you know..attempt to kill you.” Mark decided he might as well say it since Tom kept bringing it up. He bit his lip in shame. “I-I stopped hurting you because I knew you didn’t do anything wrong, not r-really.”

        Tom shook his head. "At least you had the willpower to stop," He said, voice breaking at saying that. "You kept me coming back to the park everyday without even realizing it- without me even realizing it until now. I always said I'd rather be there than at home... I'd rather be anywhere but there."

        “I wish you could stay here”, Mark said, getting off of Tom now because his body was starting to ache and he knew Tom would have to leave soon anyway. “I wish you could lay here with me tonight. I-I had such a shitty day..” Mark held his face in his hands again.

        Tom sat up along with Mark, pulling his hands away from his face and replacing them with his own. "I-I know," he breathed sadly. "I'm sorry. I really wish I could stay too- I'll see you tomorrow though, and maybe we can talk again after my parents go to bed like tonight- unless some miracle happens and I'm free, doubt it though."

        “I’d like that”, Mark said quietly, standing up now. “Come on then. I’ll drive you home.” Mark grabbed his keys off the table, heading to the door.

        Tom jumped off the couch, grabbing Mark's wrist with wide eyes. "N-no Mark that's not a good idea," he said quickly, nervously. "T-the lights will shine in the windows, the engine driving off will make a loud noise, a-along with the car door shutting-"

        He blinked at Tom. “Well, you’re not skating all the way this time at night. That’s nuts. How about I drive you half way then and skate you up to the house and you can sneak back on in?”, Mark suggested. “Because I don’t really want to skate in the darkness, either.”

        Tom licked his lips lightly and sighed after. Mark was right- it was really dark, and it'd be hard to see, but he was sure he'd be alright and he'd get home soon after. "W-what could possibly happen?”

        “You could get jumped, Tom, and so can I. Come on. We’re getting in the car. I promise it’ll be fine.” Mark opened the door then, waiting for Tom to step through. “I’ll park like two or three streets away. Just tell me when. They won’t ever see my lights or hear my engine.”

        Tom looked at Mark with a scared expression, really nervous about this. He went to the door, picking up his board with shaky hands, and then followed Mark outside. He kept thinking about how if he did skate home, and got jumped, how his parents would say that it was his own fault for being stupid to leave the house when they said not to. They wouldn't even care if he was alright or not- just remind him of how stupid he was. "I'm not stupid," he mumbled to himself.

        “Exactly, you’re not, which is why i’m driving halfway.” Mark got into the front seat of his car then, starting it up. Before driving off though, he opened the small compartment between the two seats and pulled out his vape pen. It was really more instinct than anything as he slipped it between his lips, but then remembered Tom was in the car and how much he disagreed. He frowned. “S-sorry.” Mark felt like he needed it and deserved it for his shitty day, and because of how much stress had been shaved off him since admitting to Tom. His shaky, addicted body craved it, but Mark knew as well as Tom that he didn’t really need it.

        Tom was in his own world, staring out the window the car into the night sky. It was so pretty like that, he thought. He blinked and turned to Mark when he heard him apologize, looking down at his hand which held the vape pen. He made a face, but shrugged. "Those things aren't as bad, but I still don't like them," he breathed quietly. "If you really need it, it's fine. It's better smelling than those other damn things."

        Mark blushed a bit, but was able to find the self-control to put it back inside the compartment. “No”, he breathed. “It’s fine.” Mark smiled at Tom, before pulling out of the driveway and making his way to Tom’s house. He drove slowly, because driving at night wasn’t his favorite thing to do. “How far do you want me to park?”, he asked when he knew they were getting sort of close.

        Tom shrugged, trying to act like he wasn't panicking over this. He really didn't want to screw this up like he's done before- several times. "I-I don't care, just not near my house," he breathed, looking over at Mark for a second. "H-here is fine I guess, I can skate the rest of the way."

        Mark pulled over to park, and then blinked at Tom. “O-oh. You don’t want me to skate with you to your house?”, Mark asked, kind of looking forward to that. “Are you sure you’re gonna be okay?” Mark fiddled with his fingers then, embarrassingly worried about Tom.

        Tom popped the door open quickly, but stopped and looked over at Mark, giving him a shy smile. "I promise I'll show up at school tomorrow unharmed, Marky," he said sweetly, picking his board up off the floor.

        Giggling and blushing, Mark pulled on Tom’s shirt to bring him in closer before he could walk away. “Yay”, he said just as sweetly. “Can I have a kiss?”, he asked, voice squeaky and shy.

        Tom's shy smile only grew when Mark asked for a kiss. He felt a blush crawl up on his cheeks again. "Y-yeah, of course," he said quietly, sliding back over in his seat more. He hummed cutely as he pressed their lips together, smiling more into it.

        Mark made a happy noise, taking Tom’s lips against his, tugging on his shirt gently. He jumped though, when he heard someone yell his name. Accidentally biting Tom’s lip when he was forced to pull away, he groaned when he saw Blue and the others standing in his headlights, watching. “God fucking dammit”, he breathed, trying to pull Tom back into the car.

        “Out here with that fucker still I see?”

        Tom jumped too, hearing the voice calling for Mark. He whined, it coming out pained when Mark bit his lip a little too hard. "O-ow," he said, looking around for who called him, but his eyes darted back down to Mark's hand on his shirt where he tried pulling Tom back in the car. "W-what's going on?"

        Mark glared at Blue and his friends, who were making faces. Blue looked really pissed off. Mark, infact, had never really seen him that mad, not at him, anyway. He knew exactly what was going on. Blue’s rage fueled Mark’s rage- though Mark’s rage was already a long-burning fire ignited by the loveless relationship Blue kept Mark hanging onto. This was just another spark. Narrowing his eyes, Mark pulled Tom against him again, kissing him harshly, his hands traveling into his hair. Just to show Blue, he didn’t need him anymore.

        "M-mark," Tom breathed his name, but let out a squeak after, his lips connecting with Mark's again. He felt the kiss shift dramatically, it rougher than the last. He wasn't used to that, but pressed back anyway and tried to keep up with it, enjoying it. He made a noise when Mark's hands threaded through his hair, loving that, always.

        The yell that Blue gave out was exactly what Mark was looking for, and his eyes opened to see Blue heading towards them. Mark moved from the kiss and helped pull Tom back into the car, shutting the door. He rolled his window down to talk to Blue. “Leave me alone, go home, it’s fucking late”, Mark snarled.

        Blue shook his head, stretching his hands through the window in attempt to reach Tom, but Mark was in the way. “No, you get the fuck out of the way so I can have my way with the fucking cheese head”, he snapped back. Mark started rolling the window back up, laughing a bit. Blue made angry noises. “Mark-Mark what the fuck!”

        Tom jumped back when he saw Blue try and grab at him past Mark through the window, a little more nervous than he originally had been. He felt his heart beat heavily against his chest, one hand grabbing at Mark's shirt sleeve, hoping he'd do something about this situation before something bad actually happened. He let out a sigh of relief when Mark rolled the window up. He couldn't help but make a face and wave bye to Blue, knowing that they were safe in the car.

        Mark thought it was funny too, but then Blue walked away and returned on Tom’s side of the car, opening the door. He grinned when he found it unlocked. Groaning, he tore Tom from the seat, pulling him onto the ground. "N-nono - oof," Tom whined when he was ripped from the car. He gasped in pain that time, hitting the ground a lot harder than he thought he would, the air being slightly knocked out of him.

        Mark gasped and got out of the car, coming over and tackling Blue to the ground before he could hurt Tom more.Seeing Tom hurt struck the same kind of feeling in Mark when he tackled Tom for threatening Blue- except this time it was so much stronger and Mark was more fearful because Tom didn’t just mean something to Mark- Mark meant something to him, too. Straddling Blue’s sides, he yelled at him to leave Tom the fuck alone. Meanwhile, Shorty and Chubby were hanging back watching, too high to seriously analyze the situation.

        When Tom could breathe again, he looked over to where Mark had Blue down on the ground, unable to get up. He blinked, not believing what was happening. He couldn't understand how Mark could go from being in love with this guy to wanting to hurt him the next. He was grateful though, Mark coming to his rescue. He really did like him, huh?

        Mark didn’t know when it started, but he was crying, tears streaming down his face already as he stared down at Blue. His shirt was gripped tight in his fists. “L-Leave him alone”, Mark sobbed, shaking on top of him. It hurt, it hurt a lot to face the boy that had taken Mark on a roller coaster of drops, knowing that Mark wasn’t the one that strapped himself in.

        Blue could tell, he could see the emotion pouring out of Mark’s face and feel his shaking body above his own. Blue knew he had overpowerment, though he always had. He grinned up at Mark. “Aw, look who’s holding me down now, been trying forever to get you in this position”, he smirked. Mark shivered, but instead of yelling back he sobbed more. He was unable to move- he wanted to help Tom, and Mark knew that as long as he kept Blue away that Tom would be safe, but Mark couldn’t hurt him. It was too soon. Blue had hurt him, and was hurting him now just by being near him.

        Tom huffed at that statement from where he was sitting up on the ground, watching the whole thing. Now was a good time to jump in, he figured. He got up quickly, and tugged at Mark's arms. "C-come on," he breathed. He knew this was hurting Mark, and that was the last thing he'd want to watch. "P-please, you don't need this. You know you don't-" he didn't care anymore if they talked like this around Mark's friends.. He needed them to know that Mark was better than them, that Mark didn't deserve the treatment they were giving him- that he can find someone better and be happier.

        Blue slapped Tom’s hands away and snarled up at him. “Don’t touch him”, he demanded, not moving from underneath Mark even though Mark was weak enough for him to be able to throw him off. He liked having Mark frozen in this crying state. He put his hands up to Mark’s face, making another pitiful expression. Mark shook and looked away. “Awh, don’t look away from me, you love me, remember?”

        Mark whined, and looked up at Tom shakily. “T-Tom”, he said quietly. He wasn’t really sure why, he didn’t really want Tom getting involved but Mark knew he couldn’t move. He was shaking too much. Blue didn’t like Mark calling out to Tom though. Of course, it pissed him off, and he glared up at Tom.

        “Don’t you dare fucking come close again asshole, you leave Mark a-alone”, Blue snapped. Mark felt like it was raining on himself, he was covered in so many of his own tears. “I can smack Mark right off right now if I wanted to.”

        Something inside Tom snapped then, angry that Blue thought he had authority over Mark like that- deciding what he could and couldn't do. He felt the heat rise to his cheeks when Blue thought he had it over him too. No, he doesn't. He won't ever. "F-fuck off!" he said loudly, moving back to Mark and pulling him away from Blue this time, actually finding the strength to. "Y-you don't tell me what to fucking do, or him!" He growled that time, sick of his shit. He acted fast though, stepping on Blue's chest to keep him on the ground so he wouldn't get up. "Maybe he loves you, but you know what? You can't even give that love back, so you don't deserve it. Get over it,"

        A series of little noises escaped Mark’s throat when Tom picked him up, his shaky hands instinctively grabbing onto him. He wasn’t drastically taller than Tom, so it was easy for him to do so. Blue was about to protest when he felt the wind knocked out of him, and he fell back against the sidewalk. Chubby and Shorty, still high off their minds, stumbled over to him. Blue gasped for breath while still trying to get up, and Mark was sobbing into Tom’s shirt. “C-car”, he was begging, wanting to get away. They could probably find a different spot to drop Tom off at.

        Tom heard Mark's weak voice, looking at him closely. "O-okay," he smiled at him lightly, kissing his nose before turning back to Mark's old friends. "Oh, and this is for getting me in trouble with my parents for the fucking black eye, you asshole," he huffed out, pressing his foot harder against Blue's chest to keep the wind knocked out of him. "Stay away from us," he warned, and quickly led Mark back over to his car. There was no way they were gonna chase after them in the state they were in right now.

        Once back in the car, Mark stared through the window, seeing his friends assisting Blue, and how much damage Tom had done. Tom didn’t need to do that. He locked the doors, slumping in his seat. He chewed on his lip. Mark was still shaking and sobbing, unable to pry his eyes off Blue laying on the pavement. All he could hear was Blue’s threat to hurt him in his ear, could see the dominance he had over Mark and how much he enjoyed it despite Mark’s pain. Mark never imagined himself being in such a vulnerable state. He put his hands on the wheel, eyes still on Blue. His lips were shaking as much as his hands were. “I-I have to drive”, he sobbed out, trying to convince himself of it. But he was a mess, and he felt so many emotions at once that numbness dominated over his entire body.

        Tom felt - he knew - he had taken a step further than what he should have, but he was so angry for even hearing those words. He didn't want to be controlled by anyone, and Mark had told him all about his situation - it had been and was running through his head quickly, and in not enough time to process all of it before acting.

        Mark was a mess right now - yeah, he needed Tom, but he didn't need him to do what he did. A part of Tom felt like Mark was upset with him now too, making him look down at his feet. He perked his head up though, hearing Mark speak finally. He saw exactly how shaky Mark was then, and how broken his voice was. Tom chewed on his lip, daring to reach over and tug on Mark's shirt. "I-I don't wanna leave you alone tonight now," he breathed quietly. He didn't want that at all. He knew Mark would need someone right now, but maybe he didn't want Tom.

        “I-I don’t want you to, either”, Mark replied back quietly. Tom’s voice somehow ended up being enough to pry his eyes off of Blue and bring them to Tom. Mark shivered, and sniffed afterwards, feeling the last waves of pressure begin to leave his body. Blue was no longer his friend, neither were the others- Mark was freed from them, their lifestyle, their morals. Tom had stood up for Mark despite the threats and capabilities of Blue. He didn’t break his gaze from Tom as he gave him a light smile, shining on his red and puffy face.

        Tom couldn't help but smile shyly at Mark when he gave him one. Despite all that they've just been through, it made him feel good to see Mark smile. He knew why- he knew exactly why too. Mark was finally free from all of that bullshit. "Mm, don't cry anymore," he said lightly, hands coming up to Mark's face to brush the tears away with his thumbs gently. "Take me back to your house," he asked. Tom figured his parents were literally going to murder him when he came home tomorrow, but he didn't care - he knew if he did die he'd be happy because he'd know Mark was not with those bad people anymore.

        Mark did drive away, but only for another street on the other side so they could still get to Tom’s house without running into them again. He turned the car off and shook his head, looking at Tom. He smiled again. His face seemed to make him smile. “I don’t want you to get hurt”, Mark said quietly, wiping more tears from his eyes even though Tom had gotten most of them. “I’ll be able to see you at school.” Mark really, really didn’t want to let Tom go, but he had to, because his parents seemed super strict and Mark wasn’t worth getting a beating for.

        Tom frowned when Mark stopped the car on another street near his house. He wanted to go back to Mark's and make sure he'd be okay tonight. "Y-yeah, but it'll be hard to even get a word out to you," he mumbled, sinking down in the seat. "They're gonna be all over us tomorrow- you realize that, right?"

        “Not if I spend the day with you”, Mark said, biting down on his lip. “Which means i’ll probably have to spend it with that-” Mark made air quotes- “cute girl.”

        Tom made a pft noise. "She probably won't come near me if you're around-" he smiled then, thinking about how cute Mark was when he was jealous. "You know, and if she does, you can always do what you did earlier today again..." he blushed.

        Mark felt the breath catch in his throat when Tom suggested what he did. He looked away shyly. “No, no she’s gonna think you’re just my toy or something”, he said, before shrugging. “Oh. Well she probably already does.” He sighed.

        Tom made a sad noise, reaching over to grab Mark's hand lightly. "Doesn't matter what she thinks," he said quietly, rubbing his thumb on his skin, smiling a little. "I know I'm not a toy to you. You told me I was different and you know, you've proven all of that in the weeks I've known you."

        Mark squeezed Tom’s hand in his own. He felt happy here with Tom. “You believe me?”, he asked, unsure because Mark had never been in the situation. “Y-you believe me when I tell you I l-like y-you?” Mark grew nervous at the end.

        Tom's smile grew a bit bigger then, nodding at Mark. "Y-yeah, I do," he said with a small sigh. "I may not have believed it weeks ago, but I do now. I think that's the important part, you know?"

        Mark felt that weightless feeling again, and he happily sank into his seat and leaned back more. “I wish you came into my life earlier”, he breathed. “But at the same time, you came at a perfect time, because everything was already starting to make me sick.” He smiled back over at Tom, and rubbed a thumb over his hand. “C-come here.”

        Tom hummed at that, feeling a little better about all of this, knowing Mark was thankful that he met him when he did. He chewed his lip and moved a little closer to Mark, leaning against the compartment in between the seats, laying his head against Mark's shoulder.

        “I meant onto my lap, silly, but this works too then”, Mark laughed, putting his hands in Tom’s hair. “I just wanted to be close before I let you go. You really calmed me down.” Mark leaned against the chair, trying to keep Tom’s head comfortable on his shoulder.

        Tom blushed heavily, moving a little now. "O-oh, oops," he breathed laughing lightly. He made a face, trying to figure out how to get into Mark's lap without hitting anything. He huffed and tried, succeeding, and seating himself comfortably. Mark had always been comfortable. "Better?" he asked cutely.

 

        “Much better”, Mark said happily, his hands wrapping around Tom’s body and holding him close. Mark buried his face in his neck. Tom was warm, and Mark felt good here with him. Much better than with Blue. He made another happy noise. “Thanks for doing what you did earlier”, he breathed.

        Tom hummed happily, wrapping his arms around Mark's neck, fingers pushing up into his hair, just holding him close. He really enjoyed being like this, considering Mark actually cared about him. He liked that feeling a lot. Tom made a cute noise in response, not saying much of anything- just enjoying the moment.

        “I don’t really know what i’m supposed to do without him”, Mark started, voice empty as he opened up to Tom again. His hands rubbed his back as he relaxed against Tom’s fingers in his hair. “He’s all i’ve known for years, and you saw how I acted close to him again- God, Tommy, it hurt so much. He-He really hurt me.” Mark shut his eyes. “I tried so hard, for years, just to get a single ‘I love you’ out of him..”

        Tom made a noise, and held Mark closer, brushing fingers through his hair in attempt to soothe him. "I-I'm sorry, Marky," he breathed quietly. "I really am. You deserve someone who'll say it back all the time. If you give all that love and support like you did with him, you definitely deserve someone who will.." he rambled, just trying to make Mark feel better. "Can't hurt you anymore…”

        Mark nuzzled Tom’s neck more. “Thanks”, he breathed. “I hope so. I mean..I really like you too Tom, I..I don’t mean to make it sound like i’m still helplessly in love with him.” Mark rubbed Tom’s back a little harder. “I mean, I-I am, I can’t get over someone that quick but I’m just trying to say it doesn’t mean I don’t like you, it just, really really fucking hurts and I don’t feel good and-”, Mark stopped, realizing he was rambling. He made a shameful face even though Tom couldn’t see. “I’m sorry.”

        Tom frowned, tugging Mark's hair lightly. "Shh, it's alright," he sighed out. "I understand, okay? You don't have to explain yourself. I couldn't see anyone getting over somebody so fast. Especially like if you really loved them."

        “He never loved me”, Mark whined, starting to grip Tom’s shirt on his back. “He never loved me but always acted like he was taking care of m-me.” Mark sniffed. “Y-you take better care of me than he does. You make me feel ten times better.”

        "I know, I know," Tom said quickly, feeling bad for even saying that immediately. "I meant as in you loving him..it's hard for you to get over that," he paused for a moment, taking in what Mark said about him. He had said that several times throughout the month they've known each other. "Mm w-well, I care about you, Mark."

        Mark pulled his face out from Tom’s chest, looking up at him. “You’re so sweet”, he breathed, much like he had insisted upon earlier. He took his hands off Tom’s back and brought them to hold his face. “I-I don’t really deserve to be friends with you”, he said a little lightly.

        Tom leaned into Mark's touch, humming at how nice it felt. "I think you do," he breathed, looking at Mark, smiling. "I think you've had enough bullshit in your life, and you need something to heal from breaking apart from that."

        Mark smiled. Tom always knew what to say. He brought his hand to his face to wipe off all the tears, bringing it back to Tom to hold his face. He sighed again. “I believe he interrupted us earlier”, he said amusingly.

        Tom felt a blush creep back onto his cheeks, only turning redder to realize that Mark probably felt the heat from them. "I think he did," he said shyly, smiling at Mark just the same.

        Mark giggled when he saw and felt Tom’s red cheeks. “Did you want to fix that?”, he asked, his thumbs rubbing against Tom’s cheeks.

        Tom giggled cutely, moving away from Mark's hands, looking down. "S-stop that," he said, quickly pushing his face against Mark's chest. "You make me feel all warm, mm."

        Mark’s face turned red then, and he chuckled along with Tom. “I’m all warm and fuzzy too, you know”, he said happily. He put his hands in Tom’s hair since he moved, feeling all weightless and cute and shit. “No kissies for Marky?”, he asked teasingly.

        Tom whined happily into Mark's chest, before pushing his face out of it. "Kissies for Markyy," he said cutely, holding Mark's face in his hands and rubbing their noses together. "That was adorable," he mumbled, pressing their lips together.

        Mark liked when Tom kissed him first, because it sort of showed an increase in confidence. That, and Mark could pick up from where Tom started. Such as now, Mark kissed back, and held Tom’s face in his hands. His teeth also bit down on Tom’s bottom lip lightly, whining a bit along with it. He felt bad for earlier when he jumped and bit Tom’s lip accidentally and harshly, so at least now he could make up for it and make Tom feel good.

        Tom whined when Mark bit his lip, it stinging a little from earlier, but he played it off as it felt better after a few seconds. His hands shifted down to Mark's shirt, tugging at it. He giggled, pulling away after.

        Mark leaned his forehead against Tom’s, breathing happily. “Aww, you pulled away already”, he giggled. “I was gonna make out with you”, he smirked, his hands slipping inside Tom’s shirt, just briefly.

        Tom hummed at that, blushing more. "O-oh," he breathed, looking at him shyly. "Y-you can if you want, I didn't know. I was feeling light and stuff, and I dunno.."

        Mark laughed, “Maybe tomorrow. Give you something to look forward to.” Mark winked, and opened the door so Tom could get out easier. “Gonna have to stay safe”, he said happily, brushing his nails against Tom’s back.

        Tom let out a shaky breath, feeling Mark's nails drag down his back. "O-oh," he huffed out, his body shaking for a moment from the chills it gave him. He liked that. "B-but, you just said you wanted to-"

        Mark giggled. “I want to, but I think you do, too, and I need you to have a reason to go home before you get your ass kicked”, he laughed, taking his hands off Tom and kicking the door open more.

        Tom whined again and tugged at Mark's shirt, leaning back close to him. "I don't have to be back for a few more hours anyway," he mumbled. "You don't want m-me to go either."

        Mark had to admit, he was flattered by Tom’s unwillingness to leave. He kissed his forehead. “You’re so stubborn, Tommy”, Mark chuckled. He gave in, his face moving to find Tom’s lips and pressing back into his.

        "Get used to it," Tom mumbled, pressing his lips back into Mark's right away when they connected again. His hands slid up Mark's shirt this time, just to feel him a little more than just tugging on the fabric.

        Tom seemed to really love kissing Mark, for which he was grateful. He shivered when Tom’s hands slid up his shirt, and he returned his hands to Tom’s hair, deepening the kiss. He swayed his body a little, just to feel Tom’s hands against his bare skin some more.

 

        Tom decided he was gonna be daring, being the one to bite Mark's lip gently, tugging on it. His heartbeat against his chest heavily though- Since earlier that day, he hasn't been able to calm it down, especially when they kissed.

        Tom got a moan out of Mark from biting down on his lip- it was really unexpected and Tom had done a good job at it. Mark also knew he was responsible for that. Blushing after the moan, he tugged on Tom’s hair a little harder and pressed his body more against Tom, feeling their rapid heart beats pound against each other.

        Tom squeaked, hearing that moan coming from Mark. He remembered when Mark had first done that- he thought it sounded really sexy. He blushed harder, thinking it sounded just as nice as the first time he heard it. He scooted a bit closer to Mark on his lap, just to move the kiss around.

        Mark grew weak against Tom, whom was really taking control of the kiss. He loved how he was moving it around and he loved the feeling of his teeth biting down on his lip gently. Mark let another moan slip- he could hold in a lot of things, and moaning wasn’t one of them- and his hands left Tom’s hair to go to his waist to hold him there, helping him move the kiss around.

        Tom's hands slipped from Mark's shirt and instead went into his hair, fingers brushing the strands gently, then tugging on them hard when he heard another moan. He loved hearing that, it was so lovely. His lips parted from Mark's for a moment, but kept them close. "Y-you know you sound really nice when you do that," he breathed, biting his own lip at that.

        Mark huffed out when Tom’s lips left his, eyes looking into his when he spoke. He blushed, red with embarrassment. “I-I can’t help those noises”, he said quietly. “I-I’m glad you like them. S a little embarrassing”, he said shyly. It showed how easily he could come apart, and Mark was a little shy about it.

        Tom smiled at Mark, and rubbed their noses together to be cute. "Well, it's adorable, and you shouldn't be embarrassed about it," he giggled cutely.

        Mark giggled back, kissing Tom’s nose when it came close. “You make me let those out”, he said happily, his thumbs rubbing Tom’s waist. “Y-you bit down really nicely. It felt really good”, Mark blushed.

        Tom giggled more at that, happy to know he did something right with Mark in that matter. "Yay!" he said happily. "I figured my lip could use a rest, honestly, ‘cause it stings a bit," he huffed, brushing his fingers through Mark's hair as he talked. "I really don't wanna go back home or go to school tomorrow. I wanna just go somewhere and stay there forever. Anywhere but those places."

        Mark shrugged. “School’s not so bad.” He helped Tom slip off his lap more. “You gotta go home if you wanna see me tomorrow”, he laughed. “Go sneak in or something.” Mark reached for his pen in the compartment again, mostly because of the stresses from Blue earlier still fading off.

        Tom sighed sadly when Mark helped him slide off his lap. He reached over Mark to grab his board, then stood outside the car. "Y-yeah, I guess," he mumbled. "I'll see you tomorrow," Tom waved to Mark then, stepping on his board and skating off towards his house. He had snuck back in quietly, unheard by anyone.

        Mark watched Tom ride off on the board, disappearing behind the corner before he sucked in the fumes of his pen and took off, returning to his lonely home. He got some sleep that night- knowing he had a real friend.


End file.
